Our History and philosophy
OUR COMMITMENT, OUR VALUES, OUR WAY
Why theses choices?
There are incontestable climatic changes due to global warming which have huge consequences on our life and especially on the agriculture.
The autumn’s monsoon, the spring in January, some frosts in May, the heatwave and the dryness in the summer, the hail anytime in the year… this climate imbalance forces us to approach our work in a different way to adapt ourselves.
In order to resist, the vines need to be healthy and we have to continue to give life back to the ground.
Biodiversity development, biodynamic and harvesting without sulfur in our estate help us to produce more expressive wines.
In the cellar, the abusive use of sulfur, the will to control everything, the use of chemical yeasts and brutal filtrations harm the expression of the natural qualities of the wine.
On the other hand, the commitment, the rigor, the reactivity, the hygiene and more work are essential. The extreme and early heat tends to produce wines with a stronger alcohol level (more than 15°) which weaken the tension and the freshness of our wines which is the main characteristic of the Vouvray’s Chenin Blanc.We need to follow this way in order to give more sense to our project.
HOW ARE WE DOING IT?
Our “Terra Vitis” certification obtained in 2017 was the first step of a commitment started a while ago. Nowadays, the “Ecocert” label for going organic guides us daily and pushes us to go further. Our experience and the testimonies of some other winemakers confirm we need to keep working rigorously. We pay for every mistake and it’s quite hard to correct them.
In the vineyard
The main idea is to give more life to the ground and take care of our vineyards so it will give us the best grapes which will be able to withstand the climatic hazards. Boost the biodiversity, use natural products, organize work to always be done on time, this is our formula to make better wines. The animal traction avoids tamping the soils which is required in our bid for excellence. This year, we will apply the biodynamic concepts in one of our plots. We have a lot of hope in this method which help to produce better and deeper wines
In the cellar
According to Arnaud Immele, consulting oenologist, expert in vinification without sulfur added “Putting sulfur during the harvesting and a bad management of the chemical products are the main reasons of the loss of typicity and personality in the wine making process”.
That’s why we are using biocontrol. Less inputs so fewer chemical products and selectioned yeasts but letting native yeasts on the ground to avoid the unwanted floras. Started for few years ago, this evolution requires more rigor, unreproachable hygiene and a full-time commitment. To encourage and strengthen this way, we invested in a cooling system, stoneware jars and a concrete egg.
About trade
Trade is the prolongation of commitment into the production of our wines, it has to follow the same rules: ethical relationships. We developed few years ago some privileged relationships with different importers who are working with, they support us in our evolution. We have a network of restaurants and local wine merchants who are loyal to us since many years so we know we can count on them.
One of the strengths of Chateau Gaudrelle is also its customer base of privates which represent half of our sales. We meet you at our estate in our equipped tasting room but also during fairs or events. We also ship our wines worldwide.
Our History
Built in the XVII century, Chateau Gaudrelle owns 20 hectares (52 acres) of vines located in Vouvray appellation area.
Property of the Monmousseau family since 1931, the estate evolved through the years to try to produce more and more expressive wines. Since the beginning of the 2010’s, Chateau Gaudrelle turns a corner into a sustainable farming with the label Terra Vitis in 2015. Quickly, we started to go organic in the aim to start the biodynamic methods as soon as possible.
Eric Pasquier, the partner of Alexandre Monmousseau since 2008 becomes the owner in 2020 with the intention to emphasize this evolution.