Vondeling RURALE Methode Ancestral

Vondeling RURALE Methode Ancestral

Last month I joined a host of celebrated wine fundi's for the launch of the Vondeling Rurale Methode Ancestral, an MA, as a pose to an MCC or Methode Cap Classique sparkling wine.                          

It was a fabulous affair and we enjoyed the wine itself paired with oysters and salmon sandwiches atop the Paardeberg Mountain between Wellington and Malmesbury. This was followed with a lunch at the winery and flights of the Babiana Chenin Blanc blend, and the Erica Shiraz- the flagship white and red wines of the estate.

Epic lunch lineup to follow

The wine of the moment was a first- ever for Vondeling, and the first registered Methode Ancestral sparkling wine in the country.

The first certified Methode Ancestral wine in South Africa

Methode Ancestral Wine in France

In a quick flit through my older wine books at home and of course on the web, my journey of discovering this old way of making sparkling wine took me to the Aude department in South- central France. Its in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains in the Languedoc- Roussillon region.

It has the coolest climate in Languedoc- Roussillon, with influences from both the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans.

It's an area better suited to cooler climate grapes like Chardonnay and Merlot than the more notorious southern french grapes like Syrah, Carignan and Grenache Blanc/ Noir.

Foothills of the Pyrenees

Old photo of the hillsides around Limoux

Methode Ancestral wine comes from the city of Limoux and the 41 villages surrounding it in the foothills of  the Pyrenees Mountains

We then focus on 4 french wine Appellations or classified wine designations around the city of Limoux, the first 3 of which are exclusively sparkling wine designations.

Its compulsory constituent grape of the white sparkling wines is Mauzac- a grape which ripens slowly and has apple flavours and a good natural acidity. Other permitted grapes are Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. Good still wines in the area are single- varietal Chardonnay, or blends based on Chardonnay, and blended with Mauzac and Chenin Blanc. Red wines are based on Merlot (at least 50% of the blends), and then Carignan, Malbec, Syrah and Grenache are the other constituents, with occasional cameos from Cabernet's Franc and Sauvignon. Some Pinot Noir is added to the Crémant wines as well.

(1) Blanquette de Limoux AOC. Blanquette means, 'white' in the old Occitane language of the area. Wines must be 90% Mauzac with blended Chenin Blanc and/or Chardonnay. Wines are dry, fine, delicate and flowery with apple and cut- grass flavours. Wines undergo a second fermentation in the bottle in the champagne method. Disgorging is permitted.

(2) Crémant de Limoux AOC. This AOC was created in 1990 because producers wanted to make wines with more Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc- grapes with more globally attractive flavour profiles.

Crémant means, 'creamy' in French, in reference to its creamier, softer texture than champagne wine. It originated as a term for wines made in champagne which were not as fizzy as champagne wine itself. These wines had lower levels of CO2 and were bottled at lower pressures. 

Crémant then became a term used for sparkling wines made in the champagne method outside of Champagne, both within France and the European Union.

The main grape varieties for Crémant de Limoux are Chardonnay (40- 70%), Chenin Blanc (20- 40%), Mauzac (10- 20%) and Pinot Noir (0- 10%).

(3) Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale AOC. This is the designation and style of wine that the Vondeling Rurale is based on. The Methode Rurale- made wine, invented by the monks of the St- Hilaire monastery in 1531 was originally called Vin de Blanquette.

St- Hilaire Monastery- the home of Sparkling wine?

The locals of Limoux swear that they invented sparkling wine a century before the Champenois, and historians believe monks of the St- Hilaire monastery made the worlds first sparkling wine in the Methode Rurale (Ancestral) Method in 1531

Wine still bottled under the St- Hilaire name.

Could these be the first monks to make sparkling wine in Limoux, circa 1530? Maybe.

Its a sparkling wine which shows more fruit flavour, and has more sugar content. Its the oldest, simplest and purest way of making a sparkling wine.

Grapes are harvested later than for Crémant and champagne wines.

It can only be made from the Mauzac grape.

It is produced in the same area as Blanquette de Limoux.

There is no secondary fermentation in the bottle. Primary fermentation merely completes in bottle, and as such there will remain a lees sediment (dead yeast cells) in the bottle, rendering it cloudy.

Other distinguishing factors of production are that there is no disgorging that takes place, or subsequent dosage. Disgorging is the removing of the lees from the bottle

A dosage is an addition of a sugary liquid to the wine immediately after disgorging to meet required sweetness in the sparkling wine.

No secondary fermentation in bottle, disgorging or dosage for Methode Rurale wines

Wines are traditionally hand- crafted, and the use of modern equipment is kept to a minimum. 

Wines are low in alcohol, and have a fruit- forward flavour profile with sweet apple and lime notes.

Modern- day French Ancestrale

(4) Limoux AOC. Growing popularity of Vin de Pays (non- classified wine) still wines, notably Chardonnay from the area lead French authorities to create an AOC for Limoux still wines.

White wines are now made from Chardonnay, Mauzac and Chenin Blanc, and must contain at least 15% Mauzac. 

Any single- varietal wines are still released as Vin de Pays wines.

This is the first AOC to regulate mandatory barrel- fermentation for white wines.

Chardonnay is particularly well- known from the area, and Limoux Chardonnay is often considered the best french example outside of Burgundy.

From 2003, red wines are classified under this appellation, and they are based on Merlot (at least 50% of the blends), and then Carignan, Malbec, Syrah and Grenache, Cabernet's Franc and Sauvignon.

Carignan is gradually being phased out in favour of more Bordeaux varietal plantings.

There must be at least 3 grape varieties in each red blend.

Methode Ancestral sparkling wines are also made in the Appellations of Gaillac AOC (South- West France near Toulouse; 100% Mauzac grapes),
and Bugey AOC (Eastern France near Lyon; Whites from 50% Chardonnay then Aligote, Altesse, Jacquere, Mondeuse Blanche, and Rose sparkling wines from 50% Pinot Noir and Gamay then Mondeuse Noir, Pinot Gris and Poulsard)

The Vondeling wine

The Vondeling Methode Ancestral is made according to the Methode Rurale principals, but follows 2 aspects of Crémant and Blanquette de Limoux production in that there is a disgorging of the lees, and
Chardonnay grapes are used. The wine is clear and not cloudy.

Vondeling Vineyards facing South on the Voor Paardeberg

All other traditional aspects of production are followed in producing this intricately hand- crafted wine.

Before being bottled the wine spends 16 months on the lees.

Bottling takes place at just the right time when there is enough sugar present in the wine to allow for the fermentation to finish. If there is too much sugar the bottles could explode.
Its a wine which dictates when it would like to be bottled, and winemaker Matt would tell you that it hasn't been the timeliest beverage to produce- this vintage needing bottling slap- bang in the middle of harvest.

Only 1200 bottles were produced.

Key features of Rurale:

(1) Difficult wine to make, where timing is everything. Single fermentation completed in bottle.

(2) Riper fruit is used than an MCC wine.

(3) 100% natural and hand- crafted, small production.

Pretentious tasting note:

The first thing which struck me was the soft mousse (sparkliness). A fine bead is evident, with perhaps less sparkle than 'cheaper' MCC wines.
On the nose green fig and pear fruit with a hint of dry cream- wafer biscuits.
Fruit complexity on the palate is another distinguishing factor of this wine and it showed green pineapple, apple and pear flavours. Tasting through a bottle recently- over a period of a few hours- it even developed some sweet- sour notes with a hint of hoisin and ginger.
A fuller body than an MCC is also evident, then distinct grannysmith apple acidity persists for ages on the finish.

We enjoyed the wine with oysters and Salmon sandwiches on top of the Paardeberg. This was a superb pairing.

S&M Oysters- a perfect pairing

Winemaker Matt giving us the inside story

I think its also a great aperitif, and a refreshing summer bubbly to enjoy on its own. For a specific food pairing, I'd take a bottle with to a restaurant which does great dim sum. Dim sum dipped in some Hoisin and Chili paste- perfect!

Best with Oysters or some good, fresh Dim Sum

Final thoughts? I think this is a style of bubbly very well suited to making sparkling wines in warmer areas. Grapes don't have too much time on the vine during our shorter ripening period. In making an MCC,  I have always thought that South African versions can lack a bit of fruit complexity and concentration.
From what I understand, French grapes spend more time on the vine, and there is thus better development of flavour there for Champenoise wines.
Because the Ancestrale is harvested later in the vintage, more flavour is evident and there's a better marriage between fruit and acidity. I didn't find that any freshness was lost with the little extra sugar present.

Shouldn't more producers explore this exciting way of making sparkling wine?