Domaine Gayda
Domaine Gayda is an old wine estate outside Limoux, dating back to 1749. Technically it is within the appellation of Malepère, but instead they produce some highly original vins de pays. The current history began in 2000 when Anthony Record bought the property as a holiday house. However, as an energetic entrepreneur he was not going to neglect his land, and so the wine estate is the result of an association of four people, Anthony Record, Tim Ford who had run a large business exporting roses grown in Kenya and Zimbabwe, until he was expelled by Mugabe; Mark Kent, a South African winemaker who runs Boekenhoutskloof in Franschhoek and Vincent Chansault, the wine maker. All four have some link with the Cape.
Vincent
arrived here in 2003, after working a number of years in South Africa and examined the soil and the climate, totally
disregarding the fact the land was appellation Malepère. Instead he chose to plant Cabernet Franc –
for Malepère he should have opted for Merlot.
There was a spot by a stream where he thought there was the potential for
pourriture noble, where he has planted Chenin blanc, and he also planted Sauvignon, and some Syrah in some
particularly poor soil. And they built a
cellar, and also opened a restaurant.
The concept of oenotourism is particularly strong in South Africa, and
that is something that they wanted to develop.
I was amused to find a collection of old black and white photographs in
the ladies’ loo featuring various film stars inelegantly eating spaghetti, Sean
Connery, Charles Aznavour, Marcello Mastroianni and others. And there is also a wine school,
Vinécole, run by fellow Master of Wine
Matthew Stubbs.
Vincent
showed us round. He explained that Malepère
means mauvais pierre, in other words stones that are not good for construction,
but are very soft and friable, and therefore make for good agricultural
land. And 10 kilometres west there is
the partage des eaux. The climate is
unique as the Pyrenees block the influence of the Mediterranean, and so it is
much cooler here than anywhere else in the Languedoc.
Vincent
exudes enthusiasm and you sense that he is very competent and focussed. First he showed us a small plot of vines,
just 50 ares planted close to the winery.
They had used selection massale, from vines originally planted in 1920. He explained that if he were to start again,
he would plant their vineyards in smaller plots, not in the long rows to which he
was accustomed in South Africa. This particular plot was planted en echalas,
each with a supporting pole, in a triangular format so that there is no shading
between the vines, and they are just allowed to grow at will and often latch on
to their neighbours forming an arch. Domaine
Gayda has been farmed organically since the beginning and now they are moving
towards biodynamics. The soil here is
very hard, with a high pH and very little microbiological life, and they want to
improve that through biodynamics.
In addition
to the vineyards at Gayda, they buy lots of grapes, particularly from
Roussillon, at Opoul near the coast, Calce, Latour de France and St. Martin de
Fenouillet. Vincent enthused about the
extraordinary complexity of the terroir of Roussillon, with granite, gneiss and
schist. They use a refrigerated lorry to
bring the grapes back to Gayda. Their harvest lasts about two months from about 20th
August to 20th October.
Vincent was also particularly taken with Minervois La Livinière and
there they have bought vineyards, which now total 10 hectares. They now have a cellar there too, which means
that they can sell the wine as Minervois La Livinière, under the name La Villa
Mon Rêve, which is the name of a little
house in the middle of the vines.
The modern
cellar is well equipped, with lots of small stainless steel vats, for different
vineyard sizes, and 500 barrels, with an oxaline system for easy
manoeuvrability. They replace 50 barrels
each year, and use different coopers with different toasting, and place more
importance on the tightness of the grain, rather than on the particular forest. Sometimes they want as long as five years seasoning
for their oak. They use natural yeast, and
Vincent talked about a study on the DNA of yeast, examining the yeast on Syrah
from three different vineyards, la Livinière, Gayda and Roussillon and each was
quite different, illustrating that the indigenous yeast do indeed contribute to
the character of a wine. Temperature
control is manual rather than computerised, so that everything is regularly
checked, with the necessary remontages and pigeages. And then there are experiments, eggs, for Grenache
Gris and Chenin blanc, foudres for élevage, and also demi-muids, which are good
for Grenache, while Syrah does better in barriques. Vincent observed that tradition is an
experiment that worked, and that they are creating their own history.
And then it
was time to taste:
2014 Viognier,
Pays d’Oc – 6.95€
From three
terroirs, the schist of Roussillon, limestone from the Minervois and Gayda and
granite from Roussillon. Vinified in
vat. Light golden. Delicately peachy, a
delicate nose, lightly floral with peaches and apricots. No bitterness on the palate. Elegant and balanced with a fresh
finish. A blend of terroirs. Each is vinified separately and then
gradually blended.
2013 Figure Libre, Freestyle, Pays d’Oc. – 10.00€
A blend of Grenache
Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Macabeo, Chenin Blanc grown on granite. The back label gives very detailed
information about exact provenance and percentages. Suffice it to say that Grenache Blanc accounts
for over half. Vinified plot by plot;
nine months in wood and blended at the last moment. 13˚.
Intriguing white blossom, a hint of oak and on the palate a nicely
rounded texture and lots of nuances. Very
good acidity, a saline quality and some minerality. .
Quite a dry finish. Minimum sulphur and no cultured yeast. Understated weight. Still very
young. Give it 5 – 7 years.
2013 Chenin
Blanc, Figure Libre, Pays d’Oc – 14.00€
Vincent
enthused about how Savennières is one of his favourite wines. And he wants the Chenin Blanc at Gayda to
have some noble rot; sometimes it is as much as 100%. This 2013 was light in colour, with some dry
honey on the nose and very good acidity on the palate, balanced with ripe
honeyed fruit. Elegant, balanced and lots
of nuances and a long finish. A lovey
glass of wine. It has been kept in an
egg and was bottled a year ago.
2014
Grenache Gris, Sélection -20.00€
A selection
of Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc from three different vineyards at
Opoul. Vincent commented that there is a
difference in the ripening time between Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc even
in the same plot. Again vinified and kept in an egg. And bottled in late June. Light colour; lightly rounded with a rich
textured palate and good acidity and length.
Full but not heavy. They made
just 2000 bottles of this.
2013 Syrah, Vin de Pays d’Oc – 7.00€
From vineyards
of limestone schist and granite. No
wood. Deep young colour. Lightly
peppery. A fresh dry peppery palate. Just 13˚.
Crozes-Hermitage is Vincent’s inspiration here. He wants lightly grained tannins, with some
of the spice of the garrigues, observing that altitude has an important impact
on aroma, favouring 200- 300 metres. And he limits the yield to 50 hl,
observing that the vignerons do have to make a living. It’s mon vin de pétanque.
2013 Figure Libre Freestyle, Pays d’Oc – 10.00€
A blend of
45% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache Noir and 20% Carignan. 20 to 80 year old vines. Medium colour. Quite a firm nose. A
rounded fresh palate, with lovely garrigues fruit and spice. Nicely integrated tannins and a fine balance. Elegant red fruit. They have retained freshness in the
wine. As négociants, they have access to
some very good grapes.
2013 Figure Libre, Pays d’Oc – 14.00€
100% Cabernet Franc from the Malepère. Élevage in barriques, as well a tronconique vat and a foudre. And Vincent wants to try out an egg too. Twelve months élevage. This was bottled last November. 2013 was a tricky vintage for grapes that
ripened late, as it was hot and humid just as the grapes were ripening and they
had to pick very quickly or else they would have lost everything to rot. The wine has lovely fresh fruit, with
supple tannins. Youthful. Medium weight. A beautifully ripe Cabernet Franc.
2012 Chemin
du Moscou, Pays d’Oc - 20.00€
This
is their address and also the name of
the air corridor for the aero-poste after it left Toulouse, in the early days
of s flying postal service. A blend of Syrah,(62%) Grenache (32%) and Cinsaut (6%). They are aiming to increase the percentage of
Cinsaut, and planting more at La Livinière.
12 months élevage separately and then another 12 months in barrique
together. 14˚. Rich and intense on the palate, but not
heavy. Rounded with supple tannins and black
fruit and a peppery note. Youthful with
lots of potential.
2012 Villa
Mon Rêve, Pays d’Oc, - 45.00€
Pays d’Oc as
it was not made in La Livinière. The
2013 vintage will be Minervois La Livinière.
They made just 2500 bottles. Pure Syrah.
13.5˚ Two years ageing in small
foudres. A lovely interpretation of
Syrah, rich but supple, garrigues fruit.
Lots of nuances. Elegant a fresh
finish and masses of potential.
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