Sylvain Dittière - La Porte Saint Jean

Saumur-Champigny — Loire Valley

Certified Organic

Sylvain Dittière learned how to cultivate plants in his youth. His parents were rose growers. But as lovely as roses may be, they left him uninspired, and so he decidedly turned to the vine and began an apprenticeship at Domaine du Collier, Antoine Foucault’s iconic organic domaine in Saumur. It was here that Sylvain’s passion for making wines without chemical interventions took root. He went on to complete his studies in oenology while simultaneously challenging much of what he learned in school while interning at yet another benchmark organic domaine in Saumur – Thierry Germain’s Domaine des Roches Neuves. To round out his education, or “un-education” as Sylvain puts it, he followed up with stints at two more well-regarded organic domaines in opposite corners of France – two years alongside Marc Tempé in Alsace, and then another year with Gerard Gauby in the Roussillon, principally in the cellar. All in all, a very impressive “un-education!”

After this formal schooling and remarkable “un-training” from some of the best natural winemakers in France, Sylvain returned to his native Loire Valley in 2010 to start his own domaine at the young age of 25. Although he did not have a family estate to take over and had little cash, he had no intention of compromising on the quality of the fruit. He managed to find an already organically farmed 2.5ha parcel, “Les Beaugrands,” of Cabernet Franc in Saumur-Champigny. The soils are typical for the appellation: sandy, silty, clay over limestone – an excellent combination of heat-retaining properties that would help ensure ripeness in an otherwise cool climate. The property also included a gem of a Jurassic cellar.

Currently, the domaine has grown to 6ha, with new parcels and varietals such as Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. Yields are no more than 35hL/ha at the estate. He vinifies, ages, and bottles at the domaine. Maceration and native yeast fermentation take place naturally in concrete tanks with just two punchdowns. Wine goes into barrel via gravity into his underground cellar to finish malolactic fermentation. The cellar hovers around 12-14C year round and retains good humidity. Sylvain’s gentle approach to vinification and extended cellar aging ensures a long, gentle extraction and development of fine tannins while preserving purity of fruit and characteristics of site. Sylvain’s philosophy is simple - let it be.

Over the years, Sylvain has gradually extended the aging of his wines as well as incorporating some new wood in order to coax more complexity, subtlety, and nuance. He has also begun experimenting with sparkling and oxidative styles as well. Apart from a minimal amount of sulfur at bottling (10-25mg/L or 10-25ppm max), nothing else is added to the wines.