The wines of L’espiègle were expected. When the first whites and new red cuvées were released during the summer, enthusiasm was immediate. A talented new Quebec winemaker was born! Zaché Hall showed us around his vibrant, leafy estate, which overlooks Lake Selby, in Dunham.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
You won’t see an Ecocert or Quebec True logo on L’espiègle’s labels. “By choice, we leave aside the certifications since none of them correspond to our reality today”, can we read on the company’s website.
Because “the mischievous” is nature! “She is generous, but she plays tricks on us that we have to take with humor,” reveals Zaché Hall. Faced with this unpredictability, the winemaker leaves a little leeway.
“Here, we are in a humid climate and mildew [maladie fongique], for example, is a real threat. This is our reality. »
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
L’espiègle overlooks Selby Lake in Dunham.
For the rest, the winegrower has adopted a real “environmental strategy”, which he describes in great detail and transparency on his website and which he hopes will make its way to consumers through the media and by word of mouth.
“Carbon footprint” is the expression of the day. We must always aim to reduce inputs and our footprint. Politicians dither because they don’t want to ban anything, so in the meantime, it’s up to us.
Zaché Hall, winemaker and oenologist
“Here, for example, I heat with the Rolls-Royce of boilers,” he adds. For me, it makes sense because, being settled on an old orchard, I have plenty of apple wood. For others, hydro is fine. You have to adapt your ecology to your situation. »
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Zaché Hall is well satisfied with his living floor.
Back to basics
“Ecology also means making a good product that will be drunk! On this point, Zaché Hall was perhaps a step ahead of other self-taught winemakers. He studied oenology at Brock University and in France, then learned the trade in a few areas of the Old Continent and the New World. With his friend Matthieu Marciniak, he made bubbles in trade with grapes bought in Niagara and then in France. The very first cuvées of L’espiègle, from the 2020 and 2021 vintages, are already very drinkable. In short, the bet of quality is won.
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
For Zaché Hall, making wine is the material culmination of his profession as an oenologist.
For the young dad, L’espiègle is a return to his roots, since he grew up in Dunham, with apple-growing parents. He gradually bought the neighboring plots of his childhood campaign. The first vines were planted in 2018 and they seem to be doing well there. From their third leaf, in 2020, they started to give beautiful grapes.
“I was surprised to see how much the beauty of our territory could be transmitted in our wines,” he admits. The beauty of our landscapes, the life and minerality of our soils, our seasons and our biodiversity are all present. Before starting the project, I expected my land to produce good wines. Today, I am sure that with a little more hindsight and listening, my land will be able to produce great wines. »
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The harvest was approaching for this grape.
Zaché Hall chose vitis vinifera, these European vines that are gaining ground in Quebec. Like his friend Mathieu Beauchemin du Nival, he planted Gamaret — “it grows well here”. It has also filled ranks with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Riesling and, more recently, Blaufrankisch, Savagnin, Floreal and Voltis. The latter two are French hybrids developed by the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) and supposed to be resistant to several diseases, including mildew. More fragile to the cold than North American hybrid varieties such as marquette and frontenac (white, grey, black), vitis vinifera must be completely covered in winter.
Conservation agriculture
The idea of putting a lot of effort into the field to do as little as possible in the cellar, very popular among artisans, prevails here too. The other very popular approach in our time, that of putting life back into the soil, preventing erosion and capturing carbon, is also a priority for Zaché Hall.
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Between the rows of vines, there is total grassing, which prevents erosion and helps to conserve carbon in the soil.
“I do conservation agriculture. I work on feedback. Nature will tell you quickly if it works or not. You have to constantly observe and adapt. »
That said, for him, a vineyard is first and foremost vines, not mixed rows in polyculture. “I try to occupy as little territory as possible to leave lots of wild spaces. So my plots have to be productive. It may be a bit productivist as a discourse, but you also have to see biodiversity as a whole. »
Here, there is biodiversity all around. There are wild bands on either side of the vines. The surrounding nature is in balance. We don’t have any insect problems. There is nothing better for nature than to leave it alone.
Zaché Hall, winemaker and oenologist
“It’s very European and Judeo-Christian, this vision we have of man who acts on nature. It’s a bit like the discourse of biodynamics too,” he adds.
Finally, since it is still impossible to completely do without fossil fuels, the estate is working with the organization Enracine (Taking Root). This project generates carbon credits through the reforestation of Central American forests, while enhancing the land of local farmers.
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The work table in the temporary cellar of L’espiègle sometimes looks like a laboratory. Here, a bottle of the estate’s excellent chardonnay, Aube à l’est 2020, and the Funny Bird 2020, a well-toned blanc de noir (pinot meunier).
The wines of L’espiègle cannot be purchased at the vineyard, but they are sold in certain delicatessens, for around forty dollars a bottle, on average. For example, we have seen some at Comptoir Sainte-Cécile, Butterblume, Veux-tu une beer, Minettes (Sainte-Rose), La Réserve naturelle (Sutton), Bolt Café (Knowlton), Passe-Montagne ( Frelighsburg), among others. They are also listed on several restaurant wine lists.