La Grapperie

The Power of Old Vines (Like, Really Old)


Quick facts:

Location: the village of Bueil-en-Touraine, Loire Valley, France

Owner & winemaker: Renaud Guettier

Vineyard area: 6.5 hectares (= 15 acres) composed of some 25 small plots, estate-owned

Vineyard management: organic (Ecocert-certified)

Soils: clay and flint (silex) on limestone

Main varieties: Chenin Blanc for the whites, mostly Pineau d’Aunis for the reds

Annual production (approx.): 20,000 bottles

Winemaking: classical – long aging in old oak barrels and vats in a cellar dug into a former limestone quarry. Sparkling wine made as pet-nat. No fining, no filtration, no sulfur added.

 

Fun facts:

  • Renaud is an agro-engineer who started in 2004 with half a hectare of old vines purchased from his stepfather, and now farms over 25 tiny plots across roughly six hectares
  • Many of these vineyards were saved from abandonment, as Renaud cherishes the power of old vines; a third of his vines are more than 100 years old, with an average age of 80
  • The wines age for at least a year or two in the perfect conditions of Renaud’s impressive cellar built in a former limestone quarry, the same limestone that the famous nearby Chateaux were built with

 

Jump to wines | La Grapperie website

 

“Sometimes when I find them they are merely old, gnarly bushes, long forgotten, but they have enormous potential and add extraordinary vigor and focus to my wines,” Renaud Guettier explains his passion for the vielles souches, or “old stubs”, as he affectionately calls them, that inhabit his vineyards. And when we say old, we mean it: the average age of Guettier’s plots floats somewhere around 80 years, and a whole third of them is more than a century old. Renaud has collected this treasure over the years, buying tiny vineyards around the village of Bueil-en-Touraine (where he’s based) when he saw the opportunity. From the initial half a hectare bought off his stepfather in 2004, he’s now at 6.5ha, separated into 25 different tiny plots. To restore these often derelict veteran vines back into production is no small feat—you have to regraft, reprune, replant and re-build the support, but as Renaud says, it’s worth it.

And so it is—La Grapperie’s wines count among the most compelling and chiseled wines you’ll encounter in the Loire Valley. The Chenin-based whites do justice to this cultish grape, with their lush flavors of ripe fruit cut through by flinty tang and vibrating acidity; the reds made from Pineau d’Aunis, one of the truly historical Loire-Valley varieties, wow you with hours worth of succulent fruit, crushed peppercorns, well-sculpted tannins and smoke.

These are true vins du terroir, clearly revealing that they’re rooted in some prime silex-clay on limestone subsoil. (The very limestone—locally called tuffeau—that allowed for the construction of the world famous Loire Valley chateaux not far from Renaud’s cave.) Guettier exalts the potential of this land and old vines by meticulous viticulture: painstakingly taking care of each vine by hand, using no herbicides or pesticides and only organic and biodynamic plant treatments; the estate is certified-organic since 2007. 

The policy of disturbing nature as little as possible continues in the cellar, of course: grapes and musts are moved along by gravity, all fermentations happen spontaneously, and the wines are then aged in old oak vats in the impressive cellar below, built in a former limestone quarry. The élévage takes at least a year, but usually two or more for each wine. This patient wait is an essential stage “when making wines without any addition at any stage, you need them to stabilize naturally, which means giving them enough time to settle down and develop,” as Renaud explains.

And the wines, once again, prove him right. The mastery, respect, patience, attention to detail, everything is in there. Opening a bottle of La Grapperie is that kind of jubilatory moment when you indulge in the rare synergy of nature’s finest fruit sublimed by a savvy human. Like taking a bite of a top ingredient elevated by a skilled chef, it’s a moment when you’re happy to be alive.

 
Wines

Adonis: — Back to the top

Grapperie Adonis tech sheet

Vineyard: blend of different sites in Bueil-en-Touraine and Dissay-sous-Courcillon. Vines aged 4 – 80 years, grown on silex, clay, and limestone on Southern-exposed slopes up to 100m above sea level.

Grape: Pineau d’Aunis (One of the oldest indigenous varieties in the Loire)

Making of (2024): The grapes are harvested and selected by hand. 30% are de-stemmed, then all are macerated for 2 weeks in large conical oak vats (cuve tronconique) where spontaneous fermentation takes place. The wine ages 12 months on lees in 600-liter oak barrels (demi-muids). Bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.

Personality: Deep purple in the glass with loads of black peppercorn, smoky bramble and sweet herbs on the nose. The palate is spicy and herbaceous with dried red and black fruit layered with spice. A most unusual and purely elegant wine that finishes with powerful tannins and mineral-infused spice. Perfect with grilled beef, leg of lamb, venison stew, braised oxtail.

publicViewAttachment (3) Pressoir Saint Pierre— Back to the top

Pressoir Saint Pierre tech sheet

Vineyard: blend of different sites in Bueil-en-Touraine. Vines aged 10 – 15 years, grown on silex, clay, and limestone

Grape: Chenin blanc

Making of: The grapes, after being harvested and selected by hand, undergo a long pressing. The fermentation happens naturally and is followed by 12 months of aging on lees, in oak barriques. Bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.

La Bueilloise— Back to the top

La BueilloiseLa Bueilloise tech sheet

Vineyard: blend of different sites in Bueil-en-Touraine. Vines aged 10 – 15 years, grown on silex, clay, and limestone 

Grape: Chenin Blanc

Making of: The wine is fermented in 50-hectoliter fiberglass tanks for about 30 days. It is transferred to the bottle while still fermenting and rests in the bottle in the limestone cellar for about 12-24 months. The wine is then hand disgorged and recapped with a crown cap without any addition of sulfur or sugar.

L’Enchanteresse— Back to the top

l'enchanteresse

L’Enchanteresse tech sheet

Vineyard: blend of different sites in Dissay-sous-Courcillon. Vines aged more than 100 years, grown on silex, clay, and limestone 

Grape: Pineau d’Aunis

Making of (2023): Grapes, are hand-harvested, with half de-stemmed and half left whole-cluster before all are macerated for 4 weeks in large conical oak vats (cuve tronconique) where spontaneous fermentation takes place. The wine ages for 24 months on lees in 600-liter oak barrels (demi-muids). Grtavity-bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.

 

La Desirée— Back to the topLes Desiree

Vineyard: blend of different sites in Dissay-sous-Courcillon. Vines aged 50 – 120 years, grown on silex, clay, and limestone  on Southern-facing slops, 100m above sea level. 

Yield: 25 Hectoliters/Hectare

Grape: Chenin Blanc

Making of (2023): The grapes, after being harvested and selected by hand, undergo a long pressing. The fermentation happens naturally and is followed by 24 months of aging on lees, in oak barriques. Gravity-bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition. Vinified dry.

Les Dorrées— Back to the top

les Dorées tech sheet

Age of vines: 115 years old

Yield: 20 Hectoliters/Hectare

Total surface of production: .6-hectares

Total Production: 1500 bottles

Pruning Method: Gobelet

Soil: Clay and silex

Varieties: Chenin Blanc

Vinification notes: Grapes are manually harvested and destemmed. The wine is fermented and aged in 228-liter barrels for about 2 years. The wine is not racked and there is no battonage. Zero added sulfur.

La Belle Egarée— Back to the top

Vineyard: blend of different sites in Bueil-en-Touraine and Dissay-sous-Courcillon. Vines aged 10 – 120 years, grown on silex, clay, and limestone on Southern-facing slops, 100m above sea level. 

Grape: Chenin Blanc

Making of (2024): Grapes are hand-harvested and selected by hand, then undergo a long pressing before spontaneous fermentation. The wine ages for 12 months on lees in oak barriques and is moved by gravity only. Bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition. Vinified dry.

 

 

 

Aphrodite — Back to the top

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

Vineyard: silex, clay, and limestone. Renaud’s oldest Chenin vines, 50-120 years old, southern-exposed slopes at 100m above sea level in the town of Dissay-sous-Courcillon.

Making of (2022): Grapes are hand-picked and pressed straight to barrels where they spontaneously ferment. The wine ages for 36 months on-lees in barrels. Bottled by gravity with a small amount of residual sugar (vinified demi-sec) with no fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.

 

Personality (2022): a truly magical Chenin, fresh and complex! Lush fruit (baked apple, quince) and spicy notes balanced by minerality and lingering acidity. A medium-sweet wine.

 

 

 

 

 

Pink B — Back to the top

Grapes: Chenin Blanc, with a splash of Pineau d’Aunis

Vineyard: Renaud’s youngest Chenin vines 

Making of: The grapes are hand-picked. The Chenin is pressed directly and begins spontaneous fermentation, then is topped off with a bit of Pineau d’Aunis from Renaud’s Adonis cuvée just before bottling. The wine spends a year on the fine lees before being disgorged by hand. Bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.

Personality: A fresh, sparkling rosé that’s pale, crisp, and gorgeous to drink as an apéritif. Tidy bubbles carry a crunchy, red berry flavor with a taut mineral backbone.

 

Premières Tries — Back to the top

“Premières Tries” refers to the first selection, or sorting, from each of Renaud’s Chenin parcels of all ages — from 4 to 100 years old.

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

Vineyard: Silex, clay, and limestone. Renaud’s youngest and oldest Chenin vines, up to 100 years old. 

Making of: The grapes are hand-picked, pressed directly, and moved straight to old barrels, where the wine spontaneously ferments and ages for fifteen months. Bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.

Personality: A cooler 2023 vintage has crafted a delicate Chenin that is mineral, bright, and lip-smackingly delicious.

 

La Diablesse

Grapes: 100% Chenin 

Vineyard: Renaud’s oldest Chenin Blanc vines, which are over 100 years old. 

Making of: Aged sous voile for 36 months.

Personality: The age of the vines and length of élévage pays off in this rich and oxidative wine. The nutty notes that one would expect are layered with lemon curd, overripe fruit and bruised Chenin grape skin. A little devilish, as its name suggests.