Biodynamics and one woman

When I was in cooking school in Ireland, I attended a dinner hosted in honor of Anne-Claude Leflaive, named in 2006 as the best white wine maker in the world. Leflaive is a legend in the wine world. Her family estate is in Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, and her land has a Grand Cru appellation, meaning that it is some on the most coveted terroir in the world. She also pioneered biodynamic practices in Burgundy when no one else in the old guard understood its value.

In Ireland, there's a great tradition of folk music after dinner, and that's exactly what we did. We all clustered into the drawing room to hear old songs about the emerald isle, or the Irish bandit whose lover betrayed him. My brother, though American with no Irish heritage, had to play a folk song for the group - that's just the kind of guy he is. But Anne-Claude became enamored of him on the spot. Suddenly, we had plans to dine with her the next night.

When we sat down for dinner, all of us nervous to impress her, the sommelier handed the wine list to my dad. I've never seen him so panicked. I mean, how do you pick wine for the best winemaker in the world?? He settled on an Albarino.

Throughout the course of that conversation, Anne-Claude told us about the meaning of her biodynamic practices. Yes, she believed that the practices improved the quality of her wine. She believed that they concentrated the flavor of her wines. But, to focus purely on quality misses the point of her life's work. She viewed herself as a steward on the land. A temporary inhabitant of a long line of Leflaives whose responsibility it was to make her land more resilient. Her practices were driven by a respect for nature and for the environment. I feel compelled to buy biodynamic wines because I want to support that stewardship.

At the end of dinner, I asked if I could come to her vineyard for the harvest. I'll never forget her response. She said, "yes, of course, but be aware that you'll be shitting in a bucket. We'll use your waste to compost."

I never ended up going, and it's one of my biggest regrets. Anne-Claude passed away a few years ago. The world lost one of the best winemakers, and one of the few top women winemakers.