Vine Path Blog 4/22: Chateau Maris
Vineyards at Chateau Maris
Winemaker Robert Eden
While there is explosive movement in the wine industry towards a more responsible environmentalism, very few wineries go to the extremes that Chateau Maris goes to. Established in 1997 by winemaker Robert Eden, the winery has rapidly become a leader in Europe when it comes to sustainability both environmentally and socially. Their two biggest achievements, they were the first ever B Corp certified winery in Europe, and they are one of only a few carbon negative wineries on earth. The length to which Maris goes to fully commit to their ideals is truly unbelievable at times, as you’ll see when we get to their ‘Naive’ Cuvee. When we discovered this winery it was immediately obvious to us that they had to get into the club, since their values and commitments in winemaking line right up with our own. It’s never enough, however, that the wines be ideologically on point, they also have to taste amazing, and the wines of Chateau Maris achieve on all counts.
A Maris farmer and their horse
Chateau Maris Vermentino, Pays D’Oc
Chateau Maris is situated in the village of La Liviniere in the Minervois, a region in Southwest France that is squeezed between the mountains and the coast. The region is exciting because of its geological richness and its vast proliferation of old vines to draw from. For this cuvee, Maris sources Vermentino from biodynamic vineyards along the Mediterranean coastline, which makes for an ocean-influenced expression of the grape. We are huge fans of this underappreciated varietal, and believe that it’s worthy of your attention. Light, crisp, intensely mineral, lip-smackingly refreshing, and intensely aromatic, it’s a near perfect wine for any occasion, and an extraordinary one for a seafood raw bar.
Chateau Maris ‘Les Planels’, Minervois La Liviniere Syrah
In the Minervois, red wine is dominant. The region is interestingly planted to a mix of Bordeaux and Southern French varietals. For this cuvee, which is sourced entirely from their vineyards in La Liviniere, they select Syrah from some of their most prized rows of vines. This wine, like nearly every wine at Maris, is fermented in concrete eggs. This has two effects; first, the thickness of the concrete regulates the temperature without a thermostat, and second, its shape suspends the yeast cells and distributes them more evenly in the solution, which has the effect of creating some fascinating textures. Next, the wine is racked into a mix of new and old French oak barrels and left to age for twelve months before bottling. This is a quintessential expression of French Syrah. It has all the bite and structure of good Syrah, as well as its emblematic meaty, savory, and intense nose. This is a succulent and deeply satisfying wine that’s perfect for a big meaty meal.
‘Naive’
Chateau Maris ‘Naive’, Minervois La Liviniere Grenache
A crushed hempcrete brick
This wine is as much a wine of ideology as it is a wine of quality. Part of the effort at Maris is to be a leader in sustainability in Europe. One of the ways that they’ve achieved that, which has become something they're quite famous for, was the construction of their winery entirely from biodegradable hemp bricks called hempcrete (pardon the clumsy portmanteau). The winery is also fully gravity fed, which means that they use no power to move juice through the winery. For this cuvee they do something extra remarkable though, they ship it on a solar powered sailboat. Perhaps the largest emissions element of wine production is transportation because you need to burn fossil fuels to truck or boat anything. The heavier the load, the greater the emission. Maris uses light weight glass to lower their total emissions output during shipping but for ‘Naive’ they take the next step and put it on a zero emissions journey across the Atlantic.
This cuvee is a selection of Grenache from their best vines that they vinify without any additions at all. That fact, combined with its extraordinary backstory, makes ‘Naive’ as ‘natural’ a wine as you’re likely to find. To preserve the clear varietal character of the wine, they both ferment and age the wine in concrete eggs before bottling. 1499 bottles of this vintage were produced. While you could have this wine with a meal, it’s a bit too fun and contemplative to be interrupted with other flavors. Enjoy this when you need to relax.
The village of La Liviniere