New Arrivals from Mariette & Alberic
After gaining experience with Cyril Le Moing and Michel Guignier before embarking on their own project in 2016, young couple, Mariette Gaillard and Albéric Dietrich, have now pieced together a modest 2.5ha of vines around the storied villages of Rablay-sur-Layon, Beaulieu-sur-Layon and Faye D'Anjou. Their Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Chenin Blanc vines are aged up to 75 years old and are planted on varying mixes of clay, schist and gravelly soils on sites surrounding the nearby Layon river.
Their approach in the vineyard mirrors that of their mentors, a careful and tender hand embracing the philosophies of organics with certain biodynamic principles also employed. Yields are kept intentionally low, aiming for between 15hl/ha and 20hl/ha but it is not unusual for them to harvest as low as 10 hl/ha. This proves to be a complicated choice, as weather in the Loire Valley becomes increasingly unpredictable, however vintage after vintage it pays off with wines of unparalleled concentration and tension.
Their small cellar, just off the main road in Rablay-sur-Layon, is mostly taken up by their ancient basket press with the rest populated by their old barrels. Their cellar work is highly influenced by their time with Cyril Le Moing, and so they have no machinery and barely any electrics in the space - everything from bottling to labelling is done by hand. Similarly, vinification is just as uncomplicated, beginning with a gentle, slow press of the fruit and ending with a year long élevage in old barrels.
The husband and wife team exclusively handle all tasks in the vineyards and cellar themselves and find that working on such a modest scale enables them to maintain a meticulous and focused approach. Their dedication to employing traditional techniques in both vineyard management and winemaking is a laborious endeavour born out of passion, yet yields wines that are genuinely remarkable and rich with complexity.
The new releases are now available to drink in or take away at Cadet, or for home delivery in our online shop.
For trade inquires, please email sales@beattieandroberts.com.