Eccentrically produced, 'biodynamic' wines offer intense character
Sunday | 05 October 2008
By Matt Kramer
You've seen the word pop up here from time to time. I assure you it elicits the full spectrum of emotions from winemakers and wine lovers, from rage to reverence. The word is "biodynamic."
Some rail against it as mystical voodoo. Others see it as a form of salvation, restoring vineyards and wine --and us --to a more naturalistic, balanced sensibility.
What is biodynamic wine? Simply put, it's an extreme form of organic, sustainable agriculture, for wine grapes or any other crop, based on the writings of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), an Austrian philosopher and spiritualist. A term invented by Steiner's acolytes after he died, biodynamics requires extreme and rigorous attention in vineyard and winemaking practices, involving homeopathic sprays and ultra-naturalistic winemaking, much of it centering on phases of the moon and references to astrology.
Biodynamics is quasi-religious in its faith-based beliefs that "explain" its methods. Practices that border on the proto-primitive, such as burying a cow horn filled with a specified compost during a certain phase of the moon, leave it open, understandably, to ridicule. Consequently, many wine drinkers and winemakers are skeptical of claims of superiority made for biodynamic wines.
Biodynamics is the "new kosher." Unlike actual kosher wines, where no one suggests taste superiority by virtue of the process, biodynamic wines have attracted an ardent cohort of wine lovers who submit that both the process and the resulting expression are superior. British wine writer Jancis Robinson, for one, says biodynamic wines "seem wilder and more intense."
There's even a rabbinate, of sorts. An organization called Demeter --the American branch of which is based in Philomath --promulgates an orthodoxy of biodynamic rules and acts as a private certifying agency.
For this observer, biodynamic processes are a form of discipline, some of which may well actually work, some of which may be more sustaining to the practitioner than practical to the plant or wine.
What matters is that biodynamic cultivation signals a willingness to pay extreme attention to vines and wines. Like driving a race car, if you take your eyes off the road --or in this case, a highly vulnerable vineyard --an irremediable disaster can result. Ask any farmer: Attentiveness is always a good thing.
Are biodynamic wines actually superior? Here again, causality is hardly clear. What is clear is that biodynamic practitioners, by virtue of their practices, are much more likely to have lower yields in the vineyards (good), more deferential winemaking practices in the winery (good) and will be interested in wines that are anything but conventionally commercial (ditto).
Bottom line: If I see a wine that's proclaimed as biodynamic, my ears (and palate) perk up. If nothing else, I know I'm dealing with a winegrower committed to something that often results in characterful, interesting and occasionally even profound wines.
Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden "Applegate Valley" Marsanne/Roussanne 2007: Southern Oregon's Applegate Valley, near Jacksonville, has had a variable history of winegrowing, with both hits and misses. Local producers have struggled to find the right grapes for their sites.
Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden is the valley's newest entrant, with 20 acres of crops such as barley, alfalfa and orchards, and a scant 11 acres of grapevines. Nevertheless, with this 2007 dry white wine blend of marsanne (77 percent) and roussanne (23 percent), it has hit something close to a jackpot of flavor and finesse.
Cowhorn is a biodynamic vineyard, certified by Demeter. If that isn't reassurance enough, Cowhorn also is certified organic.
Whether the exceptional quality and sheer goodness of this first marsanne/roussanne blend --both grapes are mainstays in the white wines of France's Rhone Valley --is from biodynamic cultivation I cannot say.
But I can say that this: Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden "Applegate Valley" Marsanne/Roussanne 2007 is eye-openingly good: dense-textured, dry and redolent of hay, with a touch of apricot, wildflowers with a lovely metallic zip and zing in the finish. In short: This is an Oregon white like no other. It's rich, dense and flavorful enough to take on the likes of pork, chicken and turkey, as well as a good many Thai and Indian curries. This is worth hunting down. $17.95. (Distributor is Casa Bruno.)
Worth noting: Oregon has 339 acres of certified biodynamic vineyards, according to the Oregon Wine Board (www.oregonwine.org), but finding a comprehensive list of those vineyards and wineries is surprisingly difficult. You'd think that the certifying organization, Demeter (www.demeter-usa.org), would offer such a list, but its Web site is shallow and uninformative with no such list, nor even much substantive information about biodynamics itself. A better resource is the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (attra.ncat.org). Despite its official-sounding name, it has no government affiliation. Enter "biodynamic" in the site's search box to learn about biodynamic practices. Matt Kramer is a Portland wine critic and author. Reach him at 1320 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201.
