What a strange name for a French wine brand! Why picking an English name when you have the chance to be French?  And why Bret? Well Bret is their last name, in case you had other thoughts.

Marketing you think, cleverness and coolness I would add up. The two Bret brothers are indeed brothers and have their family in wine since 1947. It was their grandfather that last worked with the vineyard and gave them the envy to follow up…Not like a fantaisie but more like a long life dream : at 12, Jean-Guillaume already knew he wanted the beautiful Vinzelles domaine to be part of his life.

So a classic family story? Maybe! But Jean-Guillaume and Jean-Phillipe didn’t stop there, the vineyard has been completly rethought and they are now some of the precursor of the BIODYNAMIC trend on one third of the vineyard, experimenting continuously. When I visited them two weeks ago, a horse they call Coquette had just laboured the parcelle next door : Pouilly Vinzelles climat “les quarts” the oldest and most beautiful vines in Pouilly-Vinzelles.

The domaine that belongs to the “Bret” is called La Soufrandiere. Family inherited, it represents 6ha of old vines (more than 40 y.o.), planted in Chardonnay and 3ha of Gamay that keep them with a foot in Beaujolais. Yummy! 

The ambition and gourmandise of these two boys made the Soufrandière not sufficient. The Bret Brothers name englobe a bigger entity, they also buy grapes from good vine growers around that they vinified themselves.

The fruit is selected on the tree so they can be sure of the good quality, then their team of hard workers pick up the grapes and they then stay in charge of the wine making. ONE VINE GROWER makes ONE WINE, so that, the specificity of each terroir and grower’s hand is preserved. As such, the Bret Brothers make as much as 18 different wines in small quantity. So if you like one of their juice… you’d better hurry to catch the rest.

The Bret Brothers have wines dry and sweet (close to muscat), mineral or fruity, one for each palate!
I am more on the mineral and dry these days, but I quality certify their whole selection.

RED
Bien-venu In X-tremis: a gamay that tried to be a Beaujolais-Leynes… but finally ended up as a Vin de Table from Burgundy so that it could avoid a dramatic death in the distillery. This is what happens when you try to do things differently!
Thanks god it came live ! This Gamay is silky and gourmand with ripe fruit and a lovely texture that linger on your palate for a great finish. A treasure for its kind.

WHITE
Pouilly-Vinzelles Climat “les Quarts” 2008 (Bret Brothers): The forefront cuvée for the Soufrandière. A rich and aromatic white wine that already shows in its color. If you are tired of watery white, this is your  go.  Mineral in its kind, it shows citrus on the nose with a hint of spices, you’ll find apricot on the palate with a envelopping rich texture. it will certainly give you a charming memory.

Thanks to the Bret Brother for introducing their wines to the Vicky Burgundy Tasting in Paris and to the Vicky Bourgogne Live in Lyon. We all had a great time sipping your wines.