Vincent Giraudon Tentation

Grapes: Gamay

Region: Cote Roannaise, France

Vintage: 2018

Viticulture: Biodynamic

Soils: Granite

Vinification: ⅔ destemmed grapes with partial carbonic maceration. Pressed, then fermented in concrete tanks

Aging: 6-10 months

Fining or Filtering: None

Sulfur: 30 mg/L at bottling

Notes from the Importer: 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.