Domaine Guirardel, Ugo Sans Voile, 2015

The grapes are harvested passerillées and directly pressed (over five hours) into concrete tanks, the juice is then transferred to barrels by gravity for a ‘turbocharged’ fermentation. Following a year in 400ltr barrels the wine moves into an open stainless steel vat for oxidative ageing without any flor (sans voile). Françoise and Pierre regularly taste, when they find too much oxidation (usually after three to five weeks) the cuve is sealed off with a floating cap. The result is a spell bounding white with incredible complexity and layers reminiscent of fine Rancio and Palo Cortarto. WOW!

Notes on the produce

Domaine Guirardel came to life in the 16th century (during the reign of Jurançon lover King Henri IV) and stayed in Françoise Casaubieilh’s family for 15 generations. Françoise and her husband Pierre Coulomb took over, while in their late 30s, after a career as highly-skilled IT engineers. 

The estate comprises 5ha of vines 'd’un seul tenant' (contiguous), with a majority of petit manseng (4ha) completed with gros manseng. In part terraced, the vineyards are perched on steep slopes (25%) overlooking a small valley and surrounded by wild forest. The domaine is isolated, therefore not suffering any 'pollution' from neighbours' vineyards, and has its own microclimate. It is crossed by a vein of poudingues (from 7 to 10m deep) – these rounded and compacted stones were brought by glaciers and rivers, they are charged with minerals adding intensity and salinity to the grapes and finished wines. In constant search for progress and excellence the family spared no effort, risk or cost: two full-time employees, permaculture yielding a low 15/20hh, adapted equipment, SO2-free wines, long élevage as well as years of bottle-ageing etc... Animated by a strong desire to get to the bottom of things, they happily embraced this somewhat non-sustainable business model over the years, and recently came to the realisation it was time for a new adventure.