Domaine Vincent Gaudry "Gaudry'Olle" Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley, France 2022

FROM DE MAISON

THE WINE: Gaudry’Olle is the first release (2022 was the first vintage) of a visionary new project called “La Grande Pièce” in Crézancy-en-Sancerre, an area just 9km southwest of Sancerre, just across the Sancerre AOP border, on a plateau at 300m elevation, where the soil has a calcareous clay top layer, with caillottes underneath.

Planted in 2019 from a massale selection of 90+ year old vines from his La Rabotine vineyard in Sury-en-Vaux. Sauvignon blanc grapes for Gaudry’Olle are hand-harvested in small crates before being destemmed and spontaneously fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation is spontaneous. Aged on the fine lees without bâtonnage for 7 months, racked twice, and then bottled according to the lunar calendar, unfined and unfiltered.

THE PRODUCER: For those in the know, Vincent Gaudry has been handcrafting some of the most essential, soulful wines of the Loire River Valley for over 30 years in his craftsman cellar in the tiny hamlet of Chambre, near Sury-en-Vaux, Sancerre. Vincent is a true minimalist whose guiding principle is “Trust in Nature.” The domaine was established by Vincent’s grandfather, and Vincent was only 16 years old when he joined his father in the family business in 1991. Domaine Vincent Gaudry was the first certified organic and biodynamic producer in Sancerre. Today, he and his wife Séverine farm 11 hectares of vineyards with organic, biodynamic, and regenerative practices.

Gaudry wines are in tune with the elements, instilling a feeling of being profoundly connected to the land. Driven by his deep respect for the wisdom of past generations of local vignerons, Gaudry’s wines are inspired by history and, as a result, are among the most transparent, soulful, and authentic in the region. They are also amongst the most limited due to his artisanal scale.