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. 

Gaudry’s vineyards are planted on all three predominant Sancerre terroirs: silex (flinty soils: structure, length, and lift), which runs in a narrow band along a fault line passing underneath the town of Sancerre, terres blanches (Kimmeridgian clay-limestone marl: mouthfeel), and caillottes (hard, weathered Oxfordian limestone: nose, aromatics).

With all of the focus on his brilliant white wines, it is easy to overlook that Vincent also makes sensational, complex red wines from pinot noir and (the rare) pinot fin grapes, with whole-cluster fermentations that bring structure and elegance to the gorgeous fruit. His ‘Vincengétorix’ cuvée is a superb red from a 1ha, 35-year-old massale selection parcel planted on Kimmeridgian calcareous clay soil in the village of Sury-en-Vaux, which is also worked by horse, displaying complex fruit and mineral elements; savory, long, and satisfying. It’s a very pretty, elegant style of pinot with beautiful texture and a long, saline finish. Vincengétorix is a profound pinot noir and one of the top red Sancerre wines produced in extremely limited quantities, capable of improving for a decade or more. 

Vinification – The pinot grapes for Vincengétorix are hand-harvested in small crates in whole bunches and placed into large 60-hectoliter used French foudres where they undergo spontaneous whole cluster fermentation with native yeasts. Vincent uses whole bunches and adapts the level of extraction to obtain very fine tannins. Malolactic fermentation is spontaneous. It is aged on the fine lees for 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.

→ Tech Sheet

→ Back to Vincent Gaudry