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1 botte 2009 "Les Calcinaires" Blanc Cotes Catalanes
1 bottle 1994 "Les centenaires" Blanc
1 bottle 2009 "Les Calcinaires" Rouge Cotes du Roussilon-Villages
1 bottle 2004 "Vieilles Vignes" Rouge Cotes du Roussilon-Villages
1 bottle 2002 "Muntada" Rouge Cotes du Roussilon-Villages
1 bottle (50cl) 2005 Rivesaltes "Caricia"
Gérard Gauby has often been described as the “uncrowned king of the Roussillon”. This is a fairly impressive epithet for someone of such modest beginnings. When he inherited his maternal grandfather‘s vines in 1985, he had under his control just 5ha of vines, the crop of which was taken to the local co-operative. Since that time he has systematically expanded the estate, so that today he cultivates a total of 45ha of vines.
This rather regal title is no less surprising when one knows the man himself. Gérard inherited not only vines from his grandfather, but his rugby-playing stature (his grandfather was capped playing for France). He has most appropriately been described as “burly”, but “uncompromising” and “mildly eccentric” would also sit quite well. He is a man of deep convictions, a hard worker and a bon vivant. In a region where 75% of the production is represented by more-often-than-not distinctly average co-operatives, he is also a godsend to the area. Gérard has done for the Roussillon what Aimé Guibert did for Aniane, namely he put it on the map.
This is a region where nothing short of a thesis would aptly describe the different soil types. With 150 different parcels making up the 45ha, Gérard has got most of them covered: limestone, clay-limestone, schist, marl and even a reddy-coloured sandstone called grès (well-known to lovers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape). He has slowly bought up planting rights from the flat fertile plains below and transferred them to the poor, commercially less-interesting vineyards around his native town of Calce. Some vineyards have been replanted, others harbour vines of over 120 years old.
Gérard is at his most uncompromising in the vines. He has been working his land organically since 1990 (although he has only recently become fully accredited) and for the past ten years has also been using biodynamic methods in the treatment of his vines. He brews his own pungent plant-based concoctions on the domaine. These then serve as insect repellents, anti-fungal treatments or as rich source of trace elements. Equally he uses animal manure from the horses he has working on the estate (ploughing by horse avoids soil compaction), he treats according to the passage of the moon and he makes full use of horn manure and horn silica. The soils are only worked prior to the harvest, otherwise weeds are actively encouraged to prevent soil erosion on the steep slopes. Gérard has also acquired 45ha of garrigues which he uses as habitat breaks. It is there that he hopes to encourage natural predators which will feast on any unwelcome visitors to the vines.
He is also a fervent believer in hard pruning. Whilst older parcels of vines will naturally produce very low yields, be believes that if he has to green harvest, then he has not done the correct work earlier in the year. Thus his yields are consistently between 15 and 35 hl / ha. It is this natural concentration, coupled with the work carried out in the vines throughout the year (he has 15 full time employees) which he hopes will produce grapes of optimum phenolic ripeness without being too heavy in alcohol.
It is not certain that Gérard would class himself as a winemaker. It would be more apt to describe him as a “transformer”. This being said, his winemaking style has changed in the last few years. He is using less new oak and less extractive techniques in the winery: the objective is to produce wines of greater finesse, an aim explained by his love of great Burgundy. If one believes what one reads in the press, he has certainly achieved his goal. For the more mistrustful amongst you, a simple tasting of his wines will be proof enough.
A team from Raymond Blanc’s Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons has won the European Roussillon Dessert Trophy.
The trophy was presented in Perpignan this week to the chef sommelier team at the celebrated Oxfordshire hotel, for their dessert – a Sable Breton topped with manjari chocolate mousse and black figs infused with star anise and blackberries.
It was paired with a biodynamic Rivesaltes Rouge Caricia 2005 from Domaine Gauby.
Twenty-two-year-old Anne Coquelin, the first commis pastry chef, and 24-year-old assistant chef sommelier Thibaut Panas beat off stiff competition from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Holland.
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