CHÂTEAU DE LA SELVE

FLORENCE & BENOÎT CHAZALLON

Coteaux de l'Ardèche, Rhône Valley, France

Château de la Selve is a magnificent castle residence, a fortified house built during the 13th century, being transformed, century after century, into a farm. In 1990 it became the property of Benoît's parents. In 2002, Benoît, who had just graduated from the Beaune wine school, established his wine estate in a part of the property. Situated in the Ardèche region of Southeastern France, here the landscape is one of contrasts, with low lying areas and dramatic mountains. Benoît and his wife Florence manage the Domaine; here they practise an organic and biodynamic culture that preserves the environment and let the terroir express itself. The Estate is around 40 hectares, with 6 different grapes varieties planted, with vines of an average age of 30 years old.

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BACKGROUND OF NATURAL WINE IN RHÔNE VALLEY

Nestled in southeastern France, the Rhône Valley boasts a rich winemaking heritage dating back to ancient times. Divided into two distinct regions, the Northern Rhône and the Southern Rhône, this area is renowned for its diverse range of wines, including robust reds, elegant whites, and aromatic rosés. Syrah dominates the Northern Rhône, producing iconic wines such as Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, while the Southern Rhône is famed for its Grenache-based blends, most notably in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The region's Mediterranean climate, diverse terroir, and centuries of winemaking tradition contribute to the Rhône Valley's status as one of France's premier wine regions.

Organic, Biodynamic and Natural wine. What’s the difference?

To understand this concept and its various ramifications, it is necessary to keep something clear in mind: before the 20th century and the spreading of affordable synthetic fertilisers, all farming was organic. When the shift to the use of synthetics and pesticides happened, it became necessary to diversify traditional organic farming from the new modern farming. 


ORGANIC WINE

Simply put, organic farming forbids the use of synthetic fertilisers, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or genetically modified organisms. The basic requirements are generally specific and engage the farmers not to use any chemical fertilisers and other synthetic products in the vineyard. It does not prevent the vintner from using the conventional winemaking process after harvesting. 


BIODYNAMIC WINE

Let’s take organic farming one step further: Biodynamic. The creator of this agricultural system is the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, who developed the principles of biodynamics in a series of lectures given in 1924 in Germany. Here lies the foundation of true organic wines, with a strict limit in the use of additives, stringent requirements and at the end obtaining a biodynamic certification.


NATURAL WINE

The previous definitions are usually, and rightfully, associated with it, because most natural wine is also organic and/or biodynamic. But not vice versa!

Natural wine is wine in its purest form, simply described as nothing added, nothing taken away, just grapes fermented. No manipulation whatsoever, minimal intervention both in the vineyards and in the winery. Healthy grapes, natural yeast and natural fermentation, with no filtration nor fining. Sounds easy, right? However, making natural wine is unforgiving and it requires a bigger amount of work than conventional wine. To this day, natural wine has no certification yet.