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.
Gaudry’Olle is the first release (2022 was the first vintage) of a visionary new project called “La Grande Pièce” in Crézancy-en-Sancerre, an area just 9km southwest of Sancerre, just across the Sancerre AOP border, on a plateau at 300m elevation, where the soil has a calcareous clay top layer, with caillottes underneath. Vincent had climate change in mind when in 2019 he planted sauvignon blanc vines from a massale selection of his 90+ year-old vines from his La Rabotine vineyard in Sury-en-Vaux.
Crézancy-en-Sancerre is located in a naturally cooler location at a higher elevation, where the sauvignon blanc variety ripens eight days behind the warmer parts of the Sancerre appellation on average. Vincent thinks this terroir could be one of the most interesting areas for the region’s future due to its high natural acidity and outstanding ventilation, located high on a south-west exposed slope of a windy plateau that does not need treatment of any kind. Vincent acquired the 2ha vineyard from an old farmer friend of his, Jacques, and began immediately converting the vineyard to biodynamic viticulture, in line with Vincent’s meticulous standards.
Region
Loire Valley
Appellation
Val de Loire IGP
Village
Crézancy-en-Sancerre
Vineyard
La Grande Pièce (2ha)
Elevation
300m
Grapes
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vine Age
Planted in 2019 from a massale selection of 90+ year old vines from his La Rabotine vineyard in Sury-en-Vaux
Soil
Calcareous clay topsoil with caillotes base
Fermentation
Spontaneously fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks
Aging
Seven months in stainless steel on the lees without bâtonnage, racked twice
MLF
None
Farming
Certified organic (Ecocert), Certified Biodynamic (Demeter)
Fining/Filtration
Unfined, lightly filtered
Vegan
Yes
ABV
12.5%
Pack Size
12x750mL