Guillaume d'Angerville
Domaine Marquis d'Angerville - Volnay

How old were you when you had your first wine moment and what was it ?

The tradition in Burgundy says that every newborn has to taste a little bit of wine on the finger from his father in his first few days. Naturally, I was no exception. I can’t say which wine it was, but I'm sure it was a Volnay 1er Cru!

I then often tasted wines from the estate during Sunday lunch, but it was only later that I started to taste wines from other regions than Burgundy.

In 2003, you took over the family estate from your father, Jacques d'Angerville, but can you tell us a bit about your career before this?

My father suggested very early on that I had to have other professional experience before my return to the Domain. I followed his advice. Leaving business school, I became a banker, which led me to live in New York and then in London, for more than 10 years. In total, I worked in investment banking for almost 25 years, mainly at J.P. Morgan.

Back in France for J.P. Morgan, I spoke regularly with my father about his succession. He was in good health and always said to me: "Let's talk about it again next year". And then he died suddenly in July 2003. I took a sabbatical to look after the Domain, and I never came back. Unfortunately, we never worked together, but my brother-in-law, an agronomist who had worked with my father, passed on what he had learned from him.

Tell us about the history and traditions of the estate.

The estate has been in my family since 1804. My ancestor who acquired the estate, Baron du Mesnil was sub-prefect of Autun. His grandson, Eugene du Mesnil, was the godfather of my grandfather, Sem d'Angerville. Without children, Eugene passed on the Estate to my grandfather, who settled there around 1905, after long studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

It is to Sem that we owe the renewal of the estate, which he found in ruin because of phylloxera when he took possession of it. A little later, around 1930, Sem d'Angerville made a name for himself by taking court action against the appellation frauds at the time. With his friend Henri Gouges, he led a crusade for "authentic” wines, which earned him some fierce enemies amongst the negociant houses of the time. This is how he was obliged, by accident, to start very early on with bottling at the domain, because the Burgundy trade refused to buy his wines in bulk. Henri Gouges and Sem d'Angerville were then asked by the Viticulture Syndicate to create a hierarchy in Burgundy (grand cru, premier cru, village etc.) This work was completed in 1935.

In 1950, Sem entrusted the reins of the estate to his son Jacques, my father, who oversaw 52 consecutive harvests in a row. He too was a staunch supporter of authentic wines and the great wines of Volnay.

I represent the sixth generation at the head of Domaine Marquis d’Angerville. I owe everything to my two predecessors and I try, to the extent of my means, to produce wines that would please them.

What changes have you noticed in Burgundy since your acquisition in 2003?

They are mainly of three kinds:

- Climate change has clearly accelerated since 2003, my first harvest at the head of the estate. Since 2003, I have harvested the eight earliest vintages in the history of the estate since 1905. 2003 was even the earliest harvest since 1893. On average, now we harvest three weeks earlier than in the 1970s.

- Burgundy was aware of organic and biodynamic viticulture at an early stage, and the movement has grown since 2003. I myself converted the estate to bio-dynamics in 2006. This movement is important in today's world where consumers want to control what they eat and drink.

- The price of vines has continued to increase since 2003, it has even accelerated compared to the previous period. The arrival of foreign investors - more amateur-consumers rather than wine professionals - distorted the economic balance of the region and still threatens the transmission of family estates to the next generation. The concept of "owner-winemaker”, a strong symbol of the way that Burgundy is organised, also risks disappearing.

The notion of “climat” is essential in order to understand Burgundy. Could you give us your definition?

In Burgundy, “Climat” refers to a parcel of vines, precisely located and sometimes outlined, which has been known by its name for centuries, often since the Middle Ages. Each climate has its own characteristics (geological, hydrometric, exposure, etc.). The production of each climat is vinified separately, and the wine thus produced takes the name of the parcel. It is the most faithful expression of the wine’s roots. Nowhere else in the world, has man searched to link wine production in such a precise and intimate way to the place where the grapes are grown. This is the essence of Burgundy.

Can you tell us a bit about your work for the Association of Burgundy vineyard climats and the admission as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

The adventure of the World Heritage began around 2006 with the creation of the Association for the candidature of climats in Burgundy vineyards as a World Heritage Site, on the initiative of Aubert de Villaine, the father of this great project. A few years later, he asked me to join him and I had the chance to witness the admission in July 2015.

After we were accepted, I took over the presidency of the Association of Climats of Burgundy vineyards, at the request of Aubert de Villaine. As he often said himself, the work was not finished with admission, it was only starting. Today, the association is very active on many fronts, with three main issues: managing sustainable development of the listed site (landscape and building protection tools; local heritage, etc. ); understanding and sharing the notion of climats in Burgundy (the “Maison des Climats”, historical and scientific seminars, collecting oral memories from the winemakers; “Climats” month etc. .); and enhancing the registered territory (the charter for the road signs;  the welcome message at the main railway station, an action plan in common with other sites registered in the region, etc. ).

 Like many domains in Burgundy, you converted the domain to biodynamic farming in 2006. Can you explain why this process could be the future of viticulture?

When I came back to the estate in 2003, I went to see several other winemakers for advice. My visit to Anne-Claude Leflaive, during the fall of 2003, was decisive for the conversion of the estate to biodynamics.

Initially, I wanted this conversion for reasons which were essentially ecological and to protect the soil. But I quickly noticed the positive impact this method would have on the vineyard, and on the relationship the vineyard  team had with the vines.  The bio-dynamic method brings the winemaker closer to the plant, and this is not the least of its benefits.

As I said earlier, it is certain that the consumer attaches an increasing value to the lack of “chemistry" in what he eats or drinks. From this point, organic farming and viticulture should certainly prevail worldwide. In practice, bio-dynamics is primarily a form of organic viticulture. Everyone can then determine if the biodynamic preparations are suitable or not. I personally think that bio-dynamics have had a positive impact on my wines, but I respect those who think that biodynamic viticulture has no impact.

What is your biggest challenge as a winemaker?

Preserving the diversity of plant material and combating the new calamities of the vine, such as, flavescence dorée (a vine trunk disease).

What is your dream for your estate in the future?

That it remains one of the great family estates of Burgundy and Volnay, centered on this village and its wines that I love.

Let's talk about wines. How would you describe your wine style?

I'm not the best person to describe my own wines, but I can tell you that I like subtle wines, precise, airy, elegant, silky. These are the characteristics that I hope to hear from the mouths of people who come to taste my wines at Volnay.

But I especially like wines that have a soul and that reveal the terroir - the Climat – from which they were born. One day, a visitor said the following about my wines: "Your wines are not produced by you, they are simply born". I like this definition. It says what I'm trying to do: guide the wine from the vineyard to the bottle, minimizing human intervention.

How are you trying to preserve this style?

Everything starts in the vineyard of course, and the conversion to bio-dynamics falls in line with our desire to produce wines that reflect their terroir. You have to harvest quality grapes, properly ripe, to have a chance to make a great wine. Then we have a preference to destem the harvest, and we pay attention to the fruit: we like the idea that the grapes infuse in the juice of the tank, without constraint and without pigeage.

Running off the wine and pressing are also important steps that must be done with delicacy.

In principle, aging in oak barrels should do the rest, without too much new wood for Volnay wines.

What is your favorite vintage of your wines?

I have a lot of difficulty answering this question. My answer may vary depending on the moment at which the question is asked, and the age of the vintages considered. Each vintage has something to give, and the circumstances of the tasting also influence the pleasure felt.

Finally, can you tell us a little about your domain in the Jura, Domaine du Pelican?

Around 2007-2008, I felt the need to try a new adventure - mine, as opposed to what I received from my father - in a different region to Burgundy, and at the same time close enough so that I could supervise the new domain and sign the wines with my name.

For various reasons, the Jura quickly imposed itself. It is a small wine region (2,000 hectares in total, i.e. the size of three Burgundy villages) but with a long viticultural tradition and magnificent terroirs, which produce wines with strong personalities.

 I did not know the Jura well, although it is very close to Volnay, and I immediately fell in love. But we had to find the right opportunity. With the help of a renowned geologist, from the Jura, I studied several options before being able to acquire, in 2012, ten hectares of vines, of which 5 were productive. A few years later, I was able to acquire the vineyard of Jacques Puffeney, a great Jura winemaker, who retired without a successor.

Today, the Domaine du Pélican brings together fifteen hectares, in the Arbois appellation, with the five Jura grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Trousseau and Poulsard for the reds, Chardonnay and Savagnin for the whites.

We also started the production of Vin Jaune (oxidative wine) in 2016.

Le Domaine du Pélican is a very stimulating project, which I was able to carry out thanks to the help and complicity of my partner, François Duvivier, who is also the manager of Domaine Marquis d'Angerville in Volnay. We are in for the long haul in Arbois, as proven by the construction of our new winery, which will start in 2020.