With all of the focus on his brilliant white wines, it is easy to overlook Gaudry’s two world-class red cuvées from pinot noir and (the rare) pinot fin grapes that rival the best Burgundy has to offer.
Gaudry’s Vincengétorix Sancerre rouge is a superb red cuvée from two vineyards: a 35-year-old massale selection parcel planted on Kimmeridgian calcareous clay soil in the village of Sury-en-Vaux, and La Vaud in Chavignol at 200-300m. The La Vaud parcel belongs to the important Chavignolet lieu-dit, a magical vineyard located in a heavily-wooded amphitheater tucked away on the southwestern side of Chavignol. La Vaud is split into two parcels—the older vines higher up on the slope (65+) go into the Le Vignes de Chavignol cuvée, while the younger vines on the lower slope (35+) go into cuvée Vincengétorix.
Gaudry’s red wines are produced with the same spirit and reverence for history as his white wines, utilizing the traditions and lessons learned from the previous century in Sancerre. For Vincengétorix, whole clusters are hand-harvested and spontaneously fermented with native yeasts in a single, large, 60-hectoliter used French foudre. Vincengétorix spends 18 months in the same foudre and in varying proportions of stainless steel vats to suit the vintage before being bottled according to the lunar calendar, unfined and unfiltered, with minimal sulfur. Naturally low yields, ruthless pruning, organic viticulture, and late harvesting produce a highly-concentrated, complex snapshot of these two historic pinot fin & noir sites in the villages of Sury-en-Vaux and Chavignol.
The cuvée name Vincengétorix is a play on words, blending his name (Vincent) with the regionally-famous historic figure Vercingetorix, a Gallic king (86 BC) who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars. Vercingetorix is a local hero for being the last Gallic leader to resist the Roman invasion of Gaul, the future France. Vercingetorix is perhaps best known as an inspiration for the French comic book series The Adventures of Asterix.
Gaudry’s Vincengétorix Sancerre Rouge is a very pretty, elegant style of pinot with a beautiful texture and a long, saline, and mineral finish that will ensure this wine improves in bottle for decades to come. Produced in extremely limited quantities.
Region
Loire Valley
Appellation
Sancerre
Commune
Sury-en-Vaux and Chavignol
Lieu-dit
‘La Vaud’ in Chavignolet and another unnamed parcel in Sury-en-Vaux
Grapes
Pinot Noir and Pinot Fin (planted from old massale selection)
Vine Age
35+ years old
Soil
Kimmeridgian clay with terres blanches bedrock
Fermentation
Whole-clusters spontaneously fermented with natural yeasts in one large 60hL used French foudre
Aging
18 months in the same foudre and in varying proportions of stainless steel vats to suit the vintage before being bottled according to the lunar calendar
MLF
Spontaneous
Farming
Certified organic (Ecocert), Certified Biodynamic (Demeter)
Fining/Filtration
None
Vegan
Yes
ABV
13%
Pack Size
12x750mL