Very close to Cordes-sur-Ciel, at the northern limit of Gaillac vineyard, Domaine Gayrard is undergoing a renaissance. Enjoying a terroir very favorable to vines as well as truffle oaks, engaged in organic conversion, this wine stronghold could soon be one of the references of the appellation.
The story
Between Cordes and Albi, the Domaine Gayrard occupies a land with a long wine-growing tradition. Family archives show that vines were already cultivated there in the XNUMXth century.e century. If we know that Gaillac is one of the oldest vineyards in France, we can assume that the lands of Domaine Gayrard were conducive to the cultivation of native grape varieties that the entire appellation is now trying to rehabilitate. And although the story of the XXe century dominated by economic reason marked an interruption the wine tradition of the fief Gayrard, it was without taking into account the spirit of renewal which today runs through the whole vineyard. The family farm is once again among those which endeavor to reconnect with the reputation of Gaillac wines. And as love and respect for ancestral land occupy the memory here, it is in organic conversion that the business is conducted.
The Renaissance
Before wine production fell dormant for a generation, the Domaine Gayrard was a pioneer in the production of bottles in the 50s. This memory is the cradle of a renaissance to which the new generation formed today is applied. Laure and Pierre Fabre. Young couple of winegrowers, they have devoted themselves since 2013 to reviving the richness of a history which gave here a regal place to the vines. Little by little, the estate is enriched with new plantings after having annexed a few plots of old vines which reinforce the very good potential of the historic terroir. Because this limestone substrate of the Cordes plateau has always given the grapes a mineral force conducive to the expression of excellent Gaillac wines. And nec plus ultra, the property which looks like a small hamlet dominating a very well maintained park also has oak and hazelnut trees at the foot of which truffles are popular.
The news
The visit to the cellar is obvious: pragmatism and method reign in the house. If the first vintages of Domaine Gayrard apply themselves to enhancing single-varietal vintages, it is clear that the combination of time will give rise to beautiful surprises. This is already pressing in the balance of the first wines whose vinification and aging have been perfectly conducted. Freshness of the fruit, enhancement of the grape variety, mastery of typicities form the guideline. So we like to taste a Sauvignon where bursts of citrus and white fruit are supported by a beautiful base of minerality. We fall for the bubbles of a Gamay rosé, ensuring the celebration of a day with this sparkling wine. We become attentive to a Braucol full of expression, which marks an authentic red wine from Gaillac. Always on red wines we let ourselves melt in a Syrah that the terroir and the maturation have fixed between fruits and spices well established on rounded tannins by the aging in barrels. We like to discover a Far from the eye, a dry white wine typical of the Gaillac region, whose golden color with a bouquet of white flowers and undergrowth makes a nod to the scents of neighboring truffles.
