Clos Guirouilh is among the most hardcore, traditional domaines of Jurançon, a rare producer who provides us a window into the historic soul of a wine region. Clos Guirouilh is located around 350 meters in elevation above the village of Lasseube, and it is this terroir that is the key to making the truly distinctive and complex wines that the region is known for. Their 10 hectares of native varieties—gros manseng, petit manseng, and petit courbu—are grown on calcareous clay soils with lots of yellow sandstone called grès around the ancient farmhouse that serves as both winery and home.
The vines are all in excess of forty years old and are highly trellised to take advantage of the foehn wind and all of the benefits that great ventilation brings to a vineyard. The soils and elevations contribute to giving the wines their fresh, acidic framework for balance and complexity. Nothing at Clos Guirouilh is rushed, and there are no concessions to the pace of the modern world; the wines are released when they are deemed ready to drink after a long period of cellar aging.
Vinification
The grapes for the dry cuvées are harvested first, all manually. The grapes are completely destemmed and gently crushed in a pneumatic press. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, where the wine further ages for one year.
Region
Sud-Ouest
Appellation
Jurançon
Site
Lasseube
Elevation
350m
Grapes
90% Gros Manseng / 10% Petit Courbu
Vine Age
40 years old
Soil
Calcareous clay and sandstone
Fermentation
Fermented with indigenous yeast in stainless steel.
Malolactic Fermentation
None
Farming
Ecologic
Vegan
Yes
ABV
13%
Pack Size
12x750mL