Vinification of Les Grandes Mises

The secret is in the rack-and-return!

The style of Les Grandes Mises is the fruit of an encounter between the two neighboring regions of Burgundy and Beaujolais. The wine is inspired by Burgundy and its long vinifications. From the Beaujolais it expresses the emblematic varietal of Gamay grown on granite soil. A technique specific to the wine house known as rack-and-return allows the real personality to shine through these hand-stitched wines.

The winemaking process is based on practices rarely used in the Beaujolais. After the grapes are picked entirely by hand, they are destalked and then later on undergo pigeages and rack-and-return.

The rack-and-return process takes place during vinification, when the vat it completely emptied of its fermenting must. The weight of the grapes allows the sugar to be naturally extracted from the thick grape skins. This is added to the must, bringing more body to the Gamay varietal, which is naturally low in polyphenols.

The enriched juice is then sprayed back on top the pips and skins. Up to three rack-and-returns are carried out, ensuring the gentle extraction of polyphenols and anthocyans. By releasing sugar into the fermenting juice, the rack-and-return process extends fermentation to up to three weeks – twice as long as is typical in the Beaujolais. This requires equipment and time; between four to six hours per vat. This method extends the keeping potential of the wines to up to 20 years for the very best vintages, unlike the semi-carbonic method mainly used in the Beaujolais, which accentuates the fruitiness of wines intended for drinking in their youth at between two and five years. 

But that is the price of excellence and it is this long and complex process that contributes to the unique expression of Mommesin’s range of Les Grandes Mises.