Bret Brothers - La Soufrandiere

The History of Bret Brothers - La Soufrandière

The three Bret brothers, Jean-Philippe, Jean-Guillaume and Marc-Antoine, have Burgundy in their blood. Raised in a farming family in the Mâconnais, they grew up among the vines of the family estate, La Soufrandière, in Vinzelles. For decades, however, the entire harvest was sold to the local cooperative winery. Convinced that their work in the vineyards deserved better, the brothers decided in 2000 to make wine from their grapes themselves: the estate as we know it today was born.

The venture took another step forward in 2001 with the creation of Bret Brothers, a winemaking négociant business set up to work with grapes from equally passionate neighboring growers, each selected for the quality of their soils and practices. Already farmed organically, the estate gained biodynamic certification in 2006. Until 2016, La Soufrandière comprised 4 hectares of Pouilly-Vinzelles Climat Les Quarts, 0.5 hectare of Pouilly-Vinzelles Climat Les Longeays and 1 hectare of Mâcon-Vinzelles Le Clos de Grand-Père. That year, the estate expanded by another five hectares that were already certified organic, greatly easing their integration: 3.5 hectares of Saint-Véran La Bonnode, Pouilly-Fuissé En Chatenay in Vergisson, Pouilly-Fuissé Au Vignerais on the slope of the Roche de Solutré, and a small plot of aligoté. The wines now rank among southern Burgundy’s benchmarks and regularly earn top scores from critics.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Bret Brothers - La Soufrandière

The beating heart of the estate remains the Les Quarts climat in Pouilly-Vinzelles, which the Bret brothers consider one of the finest terroirs in all Burgundy—perhaps out of boundless love, or deep conviction. An old turret with a roof of glazed tiles stands almost like its guardian. The earth here is soft, airy, fragrant and scented with licorice: it is alive. The almost magical southeast-facing slope, the estate’s oldest chardonnay vines, aged 45 to 80 years, and the Bajocian clay-limestone soil rich in silica crystals produce wines truly built to age. The highest, stoniest part of the climat is exceptionally rich in iron oxide, with a 20% slope and an east and southeast exposure.

Les Longeays, classified as a premier cru, completes the picture with approximately 45-year-old vines facing east and southeast midway up a clay-limestone slope. This distinguished climat’s soil gives its grapes a more advanced ripeness than those of Les Quarts. There are also the limestone and mineral terroirs of Vergisson and Solutré in Pouilly-Fuissé; those of Prissé, at the foot of the Roche de Vergisson, in Saint-Véran; and Clos de Grand-Père in Vinzelles, a plot passed down by the Bret brothers’ maternal grandfather, who had inherited it from his own grandfather. The Bret Brothers négociant business extends its reach to Viré-Clessé, Igé, Verzé, Chardonnay, Pouilly-Loché and the Beaujolais crus, always working with plots farmed organically or in conversion.

Winemaking at Bret Brothers - La Soufrandière

Harvesting is done by hand. The grapes are then lightly crushed, pressed and fermented using only the indigenous yeasts naturally present on the berries, with nothing added. Vessels vary by cuvée and terroir: barrels aged ten to twenty-five years, stainless-steel or concrete tanks, and even egg-shaped vessels for some experiments. For the Les Quarts climat, whole bunches are pressed, then the wine is vinified and aged entirely in 228-liter Burgundy barrels for eleven months, followed by another six months in tank for entirely natural clarification.

The house’s most distinctive signature lies in its Zen cuvées, made without any added sulfur until bottling, when just 20 milligrams per liter are added. Produced in runs of only 900 to 1,500 bottles, these cuvées are easy to recognize by their distinctive labels. The brothers take experimentation even further with La Carbonnode, a chardonnay made using carbonic maceration in the Beaujolais style: intact whole berries ferment from within, heightening the aromas and mineral character. This low-intervention approach results in taut, saline, crystalline wines with remarkable aging potential.

The Cuvées of Bret Brothers - La Soufrandière

Bourgogne Aligoté Cuvée « Aligato »: a Zen cuvée from a small aligoté plot, with a playful name. Lively, crystalline and saline, it offers lime, green apple and incisive acidity, without artifice. An exceptionally pure, easy-drinking wine.

Mâcon-Vinzelles « Le Clos de Grand-Père »: a superb cuvée, the little sister of Pouilly-Vinzelles, from a plot passed down by the Bret brothers’ maternal grandfather. The chardonnay is generous yet precise, with white fruit and citrus, a fluid palate and lovely salinity. Excellent value for money.

Saint-Véran « La Combe DesRoches »: from the appellation’s limestone valleys, this white emphasizes tension and focus. Citrus, white flowers and flint make for an elegant nose, while the palate stays lean and saline through to a clean finish.

Saint-Véran Climat « La Bonnode »: a magnificent cuvée from a two-hectare plot at the foot of the Roche de Vergisson in Prissé. This privileged site produces an exceptional wine, both rich and vertical, with ripe white fruit, almond and deep chalky minerality. A fine wine for aging, praised by critics.

Saint-Véran Climat « La Bonnode » Cuvée ZEN: the no-added-sulfur version of the same climat, bottled with just 20 milligrams per liter. Its aromas gain brightness and purity, and its texture becomes more vibrant. A limited-production cuvée to keep cool.

Saint-Véran Climat « La Bonnode » Cuvée OVOÏDE: a third interpretation of this climat, aged in an egg-shaped vessel whose lack of corners encourages the natural movement of the lees and gives the wine a particularly enveloping texture. It gains roundness and depth without losing any of its saline freshness.

La Carbonnode: the estate’s boldest experiment, using carbonic maceration on grapes from the La Bonnode climat. The chardonnay is treated like a Beaujolais gamay, with intact whole berries fermenting from within. The result is a white with exuberant aromas and heightened minerality, utterly distinctive in the Burgundy landscape.

Pouilly-Vinzelles: the estate’s appellation cuvée, from 40- to 55-year-old vines in Les Quarts and Les Longeays. It offers a harmonious expression of both climats, balancing mineral tension with generous fruit, a full palate and a mouthwatering finish. An ideal introduction to La Soufrandière.

Pouilly-Vinzelles Premier Cru « Les Longeays »: La Soufrandière’s approximately 45-year-old vines face east and southeast midway up a clay-limestone slope. This distinguished climat’s soil gives its grapes a more advanced ripeness than those of Les Quarts, producing a sunnier, fleshier wine that retains lovely freshness on the finish.

Pouilly-Vinzelles Premier Cru « Les Quarts »: the estate’s undisputed flagship. Its Bajocian clay-limestone soil is exceptionally rich in iron oxide on the highest, stoniest part of the climat, with an east and southeast exposure, a 20% slope and vines aged 45 to 80 years. Hand-harvested grapes are pressed in whole bunches, then vinified and aged entirely in 228-liter Burgundy barrels for eleven months, followed by another six months in tank for natural clarification. A chardonnay of remarkable depth and salinity, regularly awarded 95 out of 100 by critics and built for very long aging.

Pouilly-Vinzelles Premier Cru « Les Quarts » Cuvée ZEN: the no-added-sulfur version of the house’s great climat, produced in just a few hundred bottles. It amplifies the aromatic brightness and vibrancy of the terroir, in a freer, more immediate expression that should be stored under appropriate conditions.

Pouilly-Vinzelles Premier Cru « Les Quarts » Cuvée Millerandée: an exceptional selection from Les Quarts vines over 85 years old, whose millerandage-affected clusters produce tiny berries of extraordinary concentration. This gives the wine exceptional density, complexity and length. The estate’s rarest and most sought-after cuvée.

Pouilly-Vinzelles Cuvée « X-Mûr »: a limited-production cuvée made from grapes harvested at very high ripeness, in a distinctly richer, more opulent style than the other Pouilly-Vinzelles wines. An indulgent curiosity for those who enjoy bold sensations.

Pouilly-Vinzelles Cuvée « X-Taste »: another experimental bottling from the house, born of winemaking and aging trials on a very small scale. It reflects the Bret brothers’ enduring curiosity and their constant search for new expressions of chardonnay.

Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Cru Climat « Au Vignerais »: a premier cru plot on the slope of the Roche de Solutré. Here, the Bret brothers make a chardonnay defined by tension, from a fine limestone and mineral terroir, with a focused structure, pronounced salinity and a beautifully persistent finish.

Pouilly-Fuissé Climat « En Chatenay »: from the terroirs of Vergisson, renowned for their verticality and noble austerity in youth. The wine is dense, mineral and deep, with a precise marl-limestone character that calls for a few years in the cellar.

Pouilly-Fuissé Climat « En Chatenay » Cuvée ZEN: the no-added-sulfur interpretation of this Vergisson climat, produced in tiny quantities. It offers a more vibrant, airy expression of the terroir, with striking purity of fruit.

Mâcon-Villages Cuvée « Terroirs du Mâconnais »: a blend of several terroirs selected by the négociant business, it is the house’s most accessible entry-level wine. Fresh, fruity and perfectly balanced, it gives a faithful impression of the Bret Brothers style.

Mâcon-Verzé Climat « Les Perches »: from a high-altitude village in the northern Mâconnais, this chardonnay emphasizes freshness and finesse, with citrus and white flowers, a lean palate and a clean finish.

Mâcon-Chardonnay: chardonnay grown in the village that gave the grape its name—an irresistible geographic coincidence. The wine is supple, fruity and easy to drink, with pear and white-fruit notes and lovely liveliness.

Mâcon-Chardonnay Climat « Les Crays »: a single-plot selection from a stonier terroir in the same village. It has greater tension, minerality and length, in a more serious, deeper style.

Mâcon-Igé Climat « Les Vernayes »: this Igé climat produces a harmonious, generous white with ripe white fruit and a note of almond, supported by brisk acidity that keeps it balanced.

Mâcon-Igé Climat « En Chanelet »: another plot in Igé, more taut and floral, with a pronounced limestone structure. A lovely discovery for anyone keen to explore the diversity of Mâconnais terroirs.

Viré-Clessé Climat « La Verchère »: a Zen cuvée from one of the Mâconnais’s finest white-wine appellations. With no sulfur added until bottling, it delivers vivid white-fruit and citrus notes on a vibrant, saline palate.

Viré-Clessé Climat « Sous Les Plantes »: fuller and more textured than La Verchère, this climat produces a round, enveloping wine with notes of honey, yellow fruit and fresh almond, and a long, harmonious finish.

Pouilly-Loché Climat « La Colonge »: this lesser-known appellation neighboring Pouilly-Vinzelles yields an elegant, floral chardonnay with a clear mineral structure and a mouthwatering finish. A lovely alternative to the better-known Pouilly wines.

Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée « Terres de Vergisson »: a blend of plots in the village of Vergisson, renowned for its focused, mineral wines. The result is taut, crystalline and deeply saline, with fine aging potential.

Pouilly-Fuissé Climat « En Carementrant »: a single-plot selection with a picturesque name, offering a fleshier, sunnier Pouilly-Fuissé with ripe white fruit and a hint of toast, without ever losing its freshness.

Pétillant Naturel « Bret Nat »: a magnificent chardonnay-based pétillant naturel, bottled before fermentation is complete. Fine bubbles, crisp fruit and effortless drinkability make this an unadorned wine for celebrations.

Beaujolais-Villages « MEN IN BRET »: a gamay Zen cuvée with a playful name. Crisp, juicy and full of energy, it is enjoyed slightly chilled and perfectly captures the house’s relaxed spirit.

Vin de France Cuvée « Glou des Bret »: another Zen cuvée, made in part from grapes grown in mountainous Beaujolais villages on pink granite and blue sandstone soils. An easy-drinking wine par excellence: light, fragrant and irresistibly delicious.

Brouilly: a Beaujolais cru made as a Zen cuvée, appealing for its aromas of fresh red fruit and supple structure, with lovely granitic freshness and soft tannins.

Juliénas Climat « La Bottière »: this northern Beaujolais cru produces a more structured, spicier gamay, with dark fruit and a mineral note, capable of aging for several years.

Fleurie Climat « Poncié »: one of Fleurie’s most renowned named sites, on granite soils. The wine is floral, silky and fragrant, with rare elegance, showing the most delicate side of the Beaujolais crus.

Saint-Amour Climat « Côte de Besset »: on a northeast-facing slope of blue granite and alluvial soils, this climat produces an elegant elixir of aromatic finesse, with cherry and peony, a fluid palate and a fresh, lingering finish.