Since 1991, Vincent Gaudry has been handcrafting essential, soulful wines with a profound connectedness to the land and to the collective lineage of vignerons past. At just 16, he joined his father in running the estate established by his grandfather in the tiny hamlet of Chambre, near Sury-en-Vaux, Sancerre. Today, Gaudry’s wines are among the most authentic, artisanal, and limited of the region.
A true minimalist whose guiding principle is “Trust in Nature,” Vincent began converting to organic farming in 1995, obtaining certification in 2002. He developed a deep appreciation for the balance that a biodynamic philosophy brings to his 11ha of vineyards, becoming the first producer in Sancerre with a Demeter certification in 2004. The vineyards, the forests, and their animal inhabitants work in harmony, and that harmony is felt in the wine.
Pour Vous is one of Vincent’s duo of top, singular cuvées (À Mi-Chemin being the other). Without hyperbole, both expressions blur the line between wine and art. Pour Vous follows the tradition of the past century of vinification and aging in wood barrels for two years before bottling, as well as the methods Vincent learned from local village elders over the years. It is a deeply unique and personal “unicorn” wine, made only in the best vintages, when it is always among the most profound white wines produced in France’s Loire Valley.
According to Vincent’s principles, richness and abundance are meant to be shared, so he named the cuvée “for you”. This speaks to Vincent’s generous and convivial nature, as his wines are world-class and profound, yet he does not take himself too seriously and is quick to share a joke and open his best bottles for guests.
Pour Vous comes from a single lieu-dit with a massale selection of old sauvignon blanc clones called Les Vignes Blanches located about 200m from the winery cellar, near the village of Sury-en-Vaux (literally the valley that smiles). The average age of the vines in this plot is more than 50-years-old, planted on Kimmeridgian clay terres blanches soil, which imparts structure and mouthfeel to the wine. Historically, the parcel was planted with vines, but it was also a garden that had sheep, so the topsoil is rich with organic matter and the fruits produced offer consistently great quality and ripeness. Vincent plows this vineyard by horse, as the topsoil is no more than a foot deep atop the limestone bedrock, which is hard to penetrate for the roots.
The Les Vignes Blanches parcel is hand-harvested and vinified separately each year, and then after aging in 60-hectoliter used French foudre for a year, Vincent tastes the wine, studying its energy, power, and emotional resonance. If the vintage speaks to him, Pour Vous spends another year on its fine lees in a used, 60-hectoliter French foudre without bâtonnage, before being bottled by hand in tiny quantities directly from barrel, without fining or filtration with a traditional copper spout by a method called “mis à la chèvre.” If the conditions of the vintage are not right to produce the energy Vincent is looking for to make Pour Vous, the barrel is blended into his primary cuvée Tournebride.
Ever the quintessential craftsman in every level of his work, Vincent is equally dedicated to ensuring the safe voyage of his wines through an investment in the best corks in the market to seal his bottles. Vincent’s corks come from an artisan producer on the island of Sardinia. His corks are natural, produced without the use of chemical treatments or glues, and are aged for 13 years. The resulting corks, which are exceptionally dense and strong, are checked by machine and guaranteed against defects like cork taint. Each cork sealing a bottle of Vincent Gaudry Pour Vous costs him an average of three euros to produce.
Finally, each bottle is hand-labeled and wrapped in the region’s traditional straw sleeves (produced by the last company in France making them) by Vincent and Séverine, before being packed in wooden cases of six bottles for shipment.
Stylistically, Pour Vous is textural, intense, long, savory, profound, and deeply satisfying, offering many years of development and pleasure when properly cellared—Vincent’s gift to you from “the valley that smiles” in Sancerre.
Region
Loire Valley
Appellation
Sancerre
Commune
Sury-en-Vaux
Lieu-dit
Les Vignes Blanches (southern exposure)
Grapes
100% Sauvignon Blanc (planted from old massale selection)
Vine Age
50+ years old
Soil
Kimmeridgian clay with terres blanches bedrock
Fermentation
Spontaneously fermented with natural yeasts in a single 60hL used French oak foudre
Aging
24 months on the fine lees in the same foudre without bâtonnage before being bottled according to the lunar calendar
MLF
Spontaneous
Farming
Certified organic (Ecocert), Certified Biodynamic (Demeter)
Fining/Filtration
None
Vegan
Yes
ABV
13.5%
Pack Size
6x750mL