Bordeaux to Burgundy

 

It's never easy leaving Gascogne. When we're in Montreal it feels like home. I'm pretty sure they like us too. Whether its cause we eat and drink like the French, love to laugh and tell jokes or just because we keep showing up with tons of Armagnac to share, there's no question that leaving the Daubin family behind each year is tough. I think our departure really affected them this year and we had a touching moment my last morning. I mean Driscoll had busted his ass for the last several month, taking about every free moment to study, just so that he could communicate with these people. And communicate we did. They promised that they would seriously consider coming to California to bring that Sud-Ouest flair to both San Francisco and Los Angeles. That's right, Bernard was actually ultra excited to bring a bit of "La Vie Gascogne" to the west coast. "To teach us how to live," he said. He even assured me that he'd be in Los Angeles, a destination he had unequivocally ruled out in the past. That's good news for EVERYONE.

After a somber goodbye and a strong coffee, Charles and I headed up to Bordeaux to pick up the rental car. I had a monster car ride planned and wasn't at all looking forward to it. It didn't help that the Eurocar was out of NavSystems when I got there. This inspite of my paying online in advanced for the upgrade. I was told that there was no possible way for them get one until the following week. I kind of spent a few minutes fiddling with my phone pretending to call the Travel Agent, but basically in full panic, when the clerk announced that they had found one at another location. She must have felt pity for me (a rare emotion for middle aged French women) because she offered to show me the way, as of course I had no idea how to get there. Serious life saver.

We'd spent several days in the south west and had found some amazing stuff. It was by far the most beautiful the Gers had ever been, with budding already well advanced in some areas and sunny days well into the high 70s. Now, I planned to traverse France on a much less inviting journey. The seven hour drive would only be marked by a quick stop at a small producer in the center of France.

Hérisson is a medieval town with a thriving theatrical scene. In the summer, thousands of French people from all over the country congregate on this small town for multitude of performances. It's tiny, it’s gorgeous and it's in the middle of nowhere. In 1984, one the towns top actors and directors, Mr. Perrier (known locally as Monsieur Balthazar), had an idea! He wanted to have a local product that he could offer his guests during their visits. Of course, this part of France is not wine growing country. It's the breadbasket and he goal was to cultivate a product of terroir. He found an old perfume still and began his experimentation. Over the course of the next two decades he experimented endlessly. His refusal to visit another whisky distillery of any kind came from a desire to never be "influenced" by outside sources. In 2000, when he retired from the stage, he began production in earnest. He'd bring his wares to the market in Auvergne, labelling it "Hedgehog Straight Whiskey Bourbonnais". Hedgehog for the town Hérisson, which is translated as such, and Bourbonnais for this historical region home to the royal House of Bourbon which corresponds with the modern day department of Allier, where of course Hérisson is located. Don't ask me too much about the word Straight, but they're definitely making whiskey. A few years ago, after finding some initial success, Mr. Perrier enlisted the help of a professional distiller named David Faverot. Approximately two years later, Faverot purchased the distillery, which now sits next to Perrier's personal home in Venas - 5km from Hérisson. Faverot jumped head first into this unusual project and immediately began to expand and experiment further.

The whiskey it's self is unlike any I've ever tasted. Many things about it are atypical and some details were off the table in the name of IP. Nonetheless, I did get some interesting info. Faverot begins with 45% (although the website states the mashbill contains 65%) locally grown organic corn. He then adds 10% rye also grown in the region. Finally, the recipe is completed with a healthy dollop of malted barley, which he buys from a malt house about an hour away. All this goes into the wash back (a Slovenian design) where the enzymes from the malted barley break down the complex carbos in the corn and rye. Fermentation is completed in small drums, which allow for easy experimentation with various yeast strains as well as easy cleaning. Faverot made a point of stating that fermentation was the crucial step in creating the profile of the end product, a fact not often focused by craft distillers stateside. He, however, did not want to divulge the exact details of that process.

After fermentation, into the new 10 hectoliter copper pot still it goes. The alembic, which was constructed by Holstein, is connected to an extra large traditional worm tub, a la Cognac. This he says, is extremely important for capturing and refining the aromatics of the grain. The first distillation is divided three ways - heads, heart and tails and lasts a very long 12 hours. The second distillation lasting 13 hours, in the very same still mind you, is separated into four cuts: heads, tails, hearts and seconds. The second distillation consists of the hearts of the first and the seconds from the previous batch. The wart always contains coarsely milled whole grains and is never filtered before entering the still. Everything is done completely by hand and he uses only his senses and a thermometer to determine the timing of the cuts.

The elevage is absolutely unique and includes some elements from Cognac with subtle similarities to other types of whiskey. Of course, Mr. Faverot has not really changed the original aging scheme created by the founder, so none of those similarities are at all intentional. They begin with locally harvested Troncais oak. It has an extremely tight grain and was traditionally used for the creation of warships, but today is integral in the creation of many great wines and spirits throughout France and beyond. The staves are fashioned into cognac style barrels and heavily toasted, but not charred. The whiskey spends at least 1 year (sometimes more) in these barrels before being transferred into used oak, similar to the to Cognac. Aeration is apparently of the utmost importance and is performed on a regular basis using various tools. The ultimate assemblage is around 4-5 years old, but no particular recipe exists and blends are made to taste. They hold back a small portion of each bottling for further aging as insurance if something isn't tasting right. By using this well aged blend of older whiskey he is able straighten out underperforming assemblages and guarantee consistency. As Faverot begins to make his mark at the distillery, it’s clear that he’s committed to maintaining the original goal of creating something absolutely unique and distinctly local. He reminds me regularly that the goal is  not to make bourbon in France, but instead to capture and refine the unique aromas of these special grains. Nowhere else in the world of whisky is this goal so overtly championed. Of course, in the spirit of experimentation some overlaps with the outside world exist. These barriques from a fourth growth Chateau in Sauterne stood out as particularly special and not altogether unfamiliar – although they're not at all on the table for purchase currently.

In Addition to their whiskey, they offer a grain eau-de-vie called Bordvodeu and an herbal orange liqueur, the Bourbonnais Des Iles. Both were quite unusual and made exclusively with spirit distilled in house. These might very well be the first products we order from David. Needless to say we'll need to change the label on that liqueur!!!

I’m not sure the whisky from The Distillery de Monsieur Balthazar will ever make it stateside, considering he was only able to offer us a handful of bottles, but if it does and you want to try something completely different and utterly unique, I can categorically recommend it. That said, the new still is signicantly larger than before - arriving late in 2014 - so availability will slowly but surely increase. Hopefully under the titulage of Mr. Faverot, the Hedgehog Whiskey of Hérisson will continue to improve and perhaps one day will be available at K&L.

I left the little distillery unsure of the road ahead. It began to drizzle. As I inched toward Burgundy, the drizzle became a torrent. Four hours later I pulled into Beaune almost regretting my decision to strike out on my own. The quaint sunny country side of Gascogne had been replaced by darkness and rain. No longer was the landscaped marked by humble farms and little tractors, but instead regal manors and Maseratis. What bounty would Burgundy hold for us? I was concerned, tired and absolutely famished. Luckily a familiar faced waited for me at the hotel's bistro. Jean-Arnauld from Michel Couvreur was there with his partners. They neglected to tell me prior to my arrival that that bistro is connected to a Michelin starred restaurant. I suddenly remembered why I love Burgundy so goddamned much. 

-David Othenin-Girard