Abstraction is an art of deep intuition, a mysterious mindfulness that only a gracefully blessed artist could possess. A labyrinth of color, texture, volume, composition, sensorial sinuousness, and, most profound, emotional evocation. Two artists of dissimilar palettes in the 20th Century epitomizes this revolutionary form of expressing a ubiquitous inner beauty that inspires us all--- Pablo Picasso and Lalou Bize Leroy.
The seamless and revelatory transitions in Pablo Picasso's work from his evolutionary artistic periods ("Blue", "Cubism", and "Rose") echo Leroy's vintages of her Burgundian masterpieces. Whether the abstraction from one of Picasso's analytical or synthetic Cubist works or from one of Leroy's wines originating in any of her 9 Grands and 8 Premiers Cru vineyards, they both exemplify a thoughtfulness and deeper understanding of the impacts of their work in the world.
Leroy took over her father's wine business in 1955 at the age of 23, oversaw the Romaine de la Romance-Conti (DRC) until 1974 and since then with her own Romaine continued to emanate her respect and love for the soil, the vines, the grapes, and nature's captivating science of yeast giving birth to wine. Through a practice and philosophy of biodynamic farming since 1988, Leroy preserves an integrity with her craft and her art of illuminating nature's way.
The seamless and revelatory transitions in Pablo Picasso's work from his evolutionary artistic periods ("Blue", "Cubism", and "Rose") echo Leroy's vintages of her Burgundian masterpieces. Whether the abstraction from one of Picasso's analytical or synthetic Cubist works or from one of Leroy's wines originating in any of her 9 Grands and 8 Premiers Cru vineyards, they both exemplify a thoughtfulness and deeper understanding of the impacts of their work in the world.
Leroy took over her father's wine business in 1955 at the age of 23, oversaw the Romaine de la Romance-Conti (DRC) until 1974 and since then with her own Romaine continued to emanate her respect and love for the soil, the vines, the grapes, and nature's captivating science of yeast giving birth to wine. Through a practice and philosophy of biodynamic farming since 1988, Leroy preserves an integrity with her craft and her art of illuminating nature's way.
In practice, the soil of Leroy's vineyards are treated with no "icides," the land is hand tilled and plowed with minimal compaction to the soil. The vines are carefully tended from individual replacement, pruning into the first four months of the year, removal of buds in specific quantities and location on the vine, attaching vines to a wire that have not been pruned, using many teas and herbal mixtures during cultivation, to, most importantly, Leroy's intimate caring of the vines through each season leading up to harvest. This intimate relationship is putting herself in the place of the vines, as you would yourself with another to be truly empathetic. This is Leroy's abstraction. This is Leroy's deep intuition. This is the love she brings to the living organisms that, in turn, breathe happiness into the landscape of the charming, rolling billed villages of the Cote-d'Or (the "golden slope") in Burgundy, France.
From planting then comes fermentation. At harvest, only the most pristine grapes are selected. Leroy personally takes part in the sorting process alongside as many people as those who are picking the grapes. In vats, the grapes are not de-stemmed or crushed to avoid damaging the grapes and oxidation, and to preserve in all its glory the yeast present on the grape skins that gives birth to the wine. As Leroy so quintessentially describes, "It's yeast that breaks down the grape and changes sugar into alcohol. The alcohol kills off the yeast, but it's the yeast that gives birth to the wine."
Aging takes place in two underground caves after a slow fermentation and long maceration. Aging initially takes place in the first underground cave until the end of the malo-lactic fermentation process. After which time, a filtration process takes place through gravity, not pumps. In biodynamic winemaking, this process occurs at the waning of the lunar calendar as gravity brings the sediment to bottom, making it easier to remove naturally. The wine is then further aged in the deeper underground cave until the wine is bottled.
From planting then comes fermentation. At harvest, only the most pristine grapes are selected. Leroy personally takes part in the sorting process alongside as many people as those who are picking the grapes. In vats, the grapes are not de-stemmed or crushed to avoid damaging the grapes and oxidation, and to preserve in all its glory the yeast present on the grape skins that gives birth to the wine. As Leroy so quintessentially describes, "It's yeast that breaks down the grape and changes sugar into alcohol. The alcohol kills off the yeast, but it's the yeast that gives birth to the wine."
Aging takes place in two underground caves after a slow fermentation and long maceration. Aging initially takes place in the first underground cave until the end of the malo-lactic fermentation process. After which time, a filtration process takes place through gravity, not pumps. In biodynamic winemaking, this process occurs at the waning of the lunar calendar as gravity brings the sediment to bottom, making it easier to remove naturally. The wine is then further aged in the deeper underground cave until the wine is bottled.
Beholding a visual confluence of a work contemplated by Picasso or experiencing a wine nurtured by Leroy inspires and affirms our inner sanctuary. Within this sanctuary, the wonder of who we are sheds the brightest and most inexorable force in our life to fully realize the ferocious fortitude of our faithful fate.
This is my homage to Leroy.
Postscript: In 2013, Leroy's long-standing friend and U.S. importer, Martine Saunier, who is a tour de force in her own right, released the film, "A Year In Burgundy," which traces the winemaking seasons with a handful of Martine's portfolio producers, including Leroy. It is a compelling tale of how easy it is to fall in love with Burgundy.
Pictures were taken of bottles owned and sold by The Wine Merchant, 228 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, (310) 278-7322, www.beverlyhillswinemerchant.com. The Wine Merchant is an inimitable resource of the finest wines, including Leroy which the proprietor of The Wine Merchant, Dennis Overstreet, sources directly from the producer.