Ep 23: From the Vineyards of France to the Foothills of Paso Robles: Bastien Leduc of Seven Oxen Estate Wines

Welcome back to another episode of The Everyday Wine Aficionado Podcast! Today, I’m going to introduce Bastien Leduc. He is an amateur botanist, a budding beekeeper, a sometimes surfer, a Red Sox convert, and an avid photographer. When he is not taking care of his family, he can usually be found in the vineyard. 

Bastien grew up helping his father on the family’s organic vineyard in the southwest of France, where he became an advocate of agroecology. He holds a degree in viticulture and oenology as well as in organic agricultural consulting. His wanderlust led him to work in a wide range of viticultural regions—in Gaillac, the Loire Valley, Bandol, Cognac, and Bordeaux in France and in the Upper Hunter Valley, the Clare Valley, and the Mornington Peninsula in Australia. From 2007 to 2009, he served as winemaker and vineyard manager for Château Beau Rivage in the Haut-Médoc.

He moved to California in 2010 to work as the Vineyard Manager for Domaine de la Terre Rouge in the Sierra Foothills before joining the Seven Oxen Estate Wines team as Vineyard Manager and Winemaker. Stay tuned until the end to learn more about his wine story!

[00:01 - 07:07] Opening Segment  

• I introduce our guest for this episode.
• Bastien shares a little bit of his background. 

• Starting Seven Oxen.
• The Neal Family connection.

• Moving to California.
• Winemaking or hosting program.

• Bastien talks about his first vintage in 2013.

• Mourvèdre, Pure Grenache, Pure Cassidy, etc.

[07:08 - 12:15] From the Vineyards of France to the Foothills of Paso Robles 

• Vineyards that were already planted and established.
• 26 acres: a lot of zinfandel, grenache, petite sirah, etc.
• Bastien shares the system of keeping separate lots.
• • Ferment everything in separate lots.
  • E.g. A four acres makes six different batches.
• The desire of having his own vineyard.
• • Farm the vineyard organically.
  • Follow the whole process.

[12:16 - 32:30] Seven Oxen Estate Wines

• Bastien talks about his experience growing up in a vineyard.
• • Making wines was part of his childhood.
  • Global experience on wine.
  • Harvesting.
• The opportunity of working in small and big wineries.
• • Global experience on wine.
• Bastien’s insights about geography and climate.
• • Where you can grow grapes.
  • Achieving the perfect nest.

• Keeping a balance between the grapes and wines.

• Maturity, acidity.

• Bastien explains where the concept of Seven Oxen comes from.
• • Farming organically.
  • A biodynamic way of farming
  • The connection between the cosmos and the soil. 

[31:48 - 36:27] Tasting Round  Bastien Leduc

• Bastien’s Favorite Wine
• • Petite Sirah.
• Bastien’s Favorite Go-To Pairing 
• • Lamb.
  • Cassidy.
• Bastien’s Wine Resource
• • Winemaker friends in France and USA.
• Connect with  Bastien
• • See links below 
• Reach out to me for more wine conversations through the links below 
• Subscribe and leave a review
• Final words 

Tweetable Quotes: 

“It's much more common to find people buying grapes from here and there and making their blender like the best. But for me it's has to be tied to a place that there was there was key” -  Bastien Leduc 

“The way I make wines is a bit of a blend of France and California because I try to keep the wines pretty balanced.” - Bastien Leduc

Don’t forget to check the Seven Oxen Estate Wines websites to learn more about the wine story!  https://www.sevenoxen.com/story and https://pasowine.com/member/seven-oxen-estate-wines/  

Let’s continue the Everyday Wine Conversations and connect with me through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. You can also check out my website at ​www.​klevywineco.com.

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