A Beaujolais that falls in the pantheon of the most delicious, and greatest, wines in the world?

Written by Pascaline Lepeltier, MOF

10/17/2020

Carbonic (and Semi-Carbonic) Maceration - Part 2 of 3

Like Appassimento for Amarone della Valpolicella, one cannot consider Beaujolais without thinking about a very specific vinification technique - carbonic maceration. Let us talk briefly about it to understand its importance, and its consequences, on Beaujolais’ style.

How does it work?
Carbonic maceration is a fermentation technique used almost exclusively for reds in order to produce fragrant, vibrantly hued wines with low tannins which can be sold soon after harvest. In order to do so, the fermentation is begun inside the berries without allowing the regular maceration & alcoholic fermentation of juice with skins to happen. Harvest must be done by hand to preserve the integrity of the clusters. They are put whole, carefully sorted without being destemmed or crushed in a tank which is filled with carbonic gas to ensure no oxygen is in the vessel. This stops the activity of the yeast and bacteria, and triggers an enzymatic fermentation inside each berry, also called intracellular fermentation. In this process, color is extracted from the inside of the skin to the flesh without pulling out a lot of tannins. Certain aromatic compounds like esters are produced in larger quantities (isoamyl acetate, ethyl cinnamate) lending to notes of strawberry, banana and bubblegum. When the alcohol level reaches 2-3% or so, the berry’s skin is ready to break under the pressure of the CO2 produced during the early fermentation. A pale red juice is released, and the more classic alcoholic fermentation can occur. Usually, carbonic maceration lasts around 10 to 12 days, but can be way longer if the temperatures are kept low. When the producer decides to end it, he/she presses the clusters, getting a must still high in sugar. This press juice is blended with the free run to finish fermentations. It is usually very quick as the oxygen intake happening during the pressing boosts the yeast and bacterial activity. This technique allows for a quick vinification compared to the more traditional ones. The latter are often referred to in Beaujolais as Burgundian vinifications.

A quick note here-do not confuse whole-cluster in carbonic maceration and whole-cluster with stem inclusion. In the second case, the clusters can be crushed, thus the process of intracellular fermentation can be minimal and not leading to the specific aromatic compounds found in carbonic maceration nor the same tannic structure.

True carbonic maceration though is very rare, as the technique requires to drain the juice running at the bottom of the tank coming from the weight of the clusters and berries bursting. What is most frequent is a semi-carbonic maceration-that very juice is left in the tank, triggering a classic alcoholic fermentation at the same time as the intracellular one.

Why in Beaujolais?
But one may ask why is this technique so prominent in the Beaujolais? Great question, as it is not at all a traditional usage. Historically, until the end of the 1950s, Beaujolais was made like in Burgundy. So, what happened? The reason is the influence and the research of Jules Chauvet.  Jules Chauvet is an emblematic figure in the French wine world. Heir of a wine negoce business based in La Chapelle-de-Guinchay (today in the Chénas AOC), he was not only a wine merchant and a producer, but also a chemist and a biologist who worked closely with the INRA & INAO and other official organizations on problems faced by the Beaujolais - and other regions - at that time. One of the main issues faced was the recurring production of acetic acid during fermentation spoiling a very large quantity of wines. After years of research, he understood this was linked to issues with the malic acid, probably correlated to abuse of certain fertilizers in the vineyards. Among the different hypotheses he explored he realized a technique invented in the Languedoc-Roussillon in 1934 by Michel Flanzy could be helpful by allowing a natural deacidification and decreasing the risk of “piqûre lactique”. It was carbonic maceration, which allowed for degradation of excess malic acid. Chauvet was also searching for ways to make wines with lower amounts of sulfur dioxide, a practice that worried him which he saw increasing during his time. By using the protection of carbon dioxide, he could produce wines with little to no sulfur. Finally, he was fascinated by the complexity of wine aromatics, and carbonic maceration had a favorable effect in increasing the complexity of the “nose” of a wine. Thanks to his connection to the different unions, but also the producers he was buying wines for, his negoce as well as some vignerons looking for an alternative to chemical farming and winemaking, the technique spread quickly. It was not by chance that this period saw the explosion of Beaujolais Nouveau!

Beaujolais nouveau originates from a historical custom of selling the wines to Lyon when barely finished. At that time, full barrels were sold, not bottles, as bottling was happening at the restaurant or at the retail shop. This wine, fizzy, juicy, and primary, had a lot of success. But how to make it in larger quantities, and sell it further than the local market of Lyon? Carbonic maceration gave a great, practical, and cheap solution. In 1959, Beaujolais Nouveau got the official authorization to be sold the third Thursday of November. Today, in order to allow this technique, harvests must still be done by hand for all Beaujolais AOCs.

Can carbonic maceration translate terroir?
This is a real question. Because of the rise of natural wines, the number of producers looking to produce a red ready to sell and drink early after harvest with little to no sulfur dioxide, the technique exploded a little bit everywhere. Chauvet was convinced it was an appropriate process for Gamay on granite but wrote to be careful of its use in other regions, on other soils with other varieties as it may mask a lot. And it is true. Often you pick up more the structure and aromas brought by the carbonic maceration then the place or the grapes. Yet like with everything else, when it is done with nuance, the technique can reveal terroir and craft. Certain varieties for sure handle it better: Carignan (the original grape it was invented for) and Cabernet Franc (practiced for the first time in the Loire in the 90s by Pierre Breton influenced by Marcel Lapierre) are good examples. Is it a real “natural” wine technique? In a way yes as nothing is added to the wines, but it is true the physical constraints are quite important - whole-cluster, saturation in carbon dioxide, temperature control, etc. What is interesting in Beaujolais today, is to see more and more producers using a mix of techniques, some only following the more traditional Burgundy customs. With the work done to understand their terroir and geology, these reflections on vinification suggest a bright future for the Beaujolais in its research of expressing its singular and unique identity.

Continue reading ⇒ The Crus du Beaujolais - Part 3 of 3