Uncovering Biodynamic wine: more estates doing it, butfew talk about it.

French domaines Leroy, Leflaive and Comtes Lafon in Burgundy, Maison Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley and Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace are producing wines considered benchmarks by the international wine world and commanding commensurate prices. What may surprise some people is that all of these blue chip estates have thrown in their lot with Biodynamics.

Biodynamics, brainchild of Rudolf Steiner, could be described as "uber-organics." It treats the vineyard as an organic whole, including the soil, its flora and fauna. Its practioners link agricultural work to cosmic forces like moon phases and planetary positions. The vineyard is nourished with a specific compost, and sprayed with infusions brewed from plant materials.

In my small stash of Zind-Humbrecht wines, the labels make no mention that Olivier Humbrecht farms his vineyards Biodynamically. Of the three Burgundy domaines listed above, only Domaine Leroy lets you know that the estate is fully Biodynamic.

Hoping to discover why such celebrated producers are turning to Biodynamics--and, even more mysteriously, why they prefer to keep their Biodynamic practices to themselves--I embarked on a tour of French Biodynamic estates, starting in the Roussillon.

Crusty French individualism prevails everywhere, and the growers are not marching in lockstep into bio-land. Some are certified, some are not. They adapt Biodynamics to their environment, and pick and choose what works for them.

Aime Guibert, Languedoc quality pioneer, owner of Mas de Daumas Gassac, the man who was instrumental in showing Robert Mondavi the door when the latter was about to establish a mega-winery in Languedoc, wrote me the following before my visit: "Yes, we are disciples of Steiner, but without being too religious about it."

La Maison Chapoutier, with substantial holdings in the best appellation of the Rhone Valley, had seen its fortunes plummet, adopted Biodynamics, and reversed its decline. In Burgundy the prominent Biodynamic Domaine Trapet Pere & Fils is also experiencing a renaissance.

Domaine Gauby, in a remote corner of Roussillon, could be called the "ultimate" Biodynamic estate. Its owner, Gerard Gauby, refers to his land, where small vineyards are interspersed with scrub, as a biotope. He never had his vines certified as Biodynamic because he doesn't want to be boxed in by rules and regulations. When Jancis Robinson refers to Gauby as a "celebrated winemaker," marketing is no longer an issue.