I.G.P. Urfé blanc – “Primavera”
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Region | Loire |
| Producer | Vincent Giraudon |
| Size | 750mL |
| Style | White |
| Practices | Certified Organic, Organic |
| Grapes | Aligoté |
| Other Features | Vegan, Indigenous yeasts, Unfined |
I.G.P. Urfé blanc. 100% Aligoté. Out of Vincent’s 5 hectares of vines, only 0.5 ha is planted with Aligoté. Chardonnay and Viognier are more common in the area, but Vincent picked Aligoté for its vivacity and minerality. The vines grow on granitic soil, and the grapes are hand harvested. The wine is fermented and aged on its lees for around 10 months, in tanks. Aromas of citrus and pear, with a nice balance between freshness and body. Only 25-30mg/L total sulfite at bottling.
About the Producer
The Côte Roannaise is a little known region situated in headwaters of the Loire, in the southeast corner of the Loire Valley, just 40 miles west of Beaujolais. The appellation allows only Gamay, with whites declassified to IGP d’Urfé.
Vincent Giraudon first learned about wine from his grandfather, Henri, a sommelier at Troisgros. “Thanks to him, I learned to cracher (spit) from an early age.” Henri also exposed Vincent to old Burgundies and trends in winemaking. Inspired, Vincent went on to pursue viticultural studies in Burgundy. He did stages at Yves Cuilleron in Saint-Joseph, a cooperative in Beaujolais, and in Alsace.
One of the youngest winegrowers to settle in the Côte Roannaise, he took over a 0.5 hectare parcel of vines in 2004, located at the northern end of the appellation. Equipped with passion and willpower, Vincent started vinifying a year later with his childhood friend, Romain Paire of Domaine des Pothiers. The two still vinify together. The tiny domaine slowly grew to 5 hectares. It is split between Gamay and Aligoté, grown on complex granitic soils, similar to those in Saint-Joseph. The total production is barely around 20,000 bottles. When he is not tending to his vineyard, Vincent can be found behind the stove at Jacques Coeur, his father’s restaurant in Renaison.
Farming practices: certified organic since 2015. Biodynamic farming since early 2021.
Vincent Giraudon
