DOMAINE GAYRARD
Gaillac, France
In the 1950’s, Maurice Gayrard was one of Gaillac’s pioneers. He estate bottled his wines in a region that, despite a prominence since Roman times, had in recent generations been stifled by the ‘privilege of Bordeaux’, which cut off export markets for Gaillac and other upland areas of the Garonne and Dordogne basins. Sadly, the financial pressures of the 1990’s forced Domaine Gayrard to abandon its vines and turn to cereal production.
A generation later, Maurice’s great-grandson, Pierre, and his wife, Laure, have set out to return their family’s domaine to its former glory, replanting with Gaillac’s indigenous varietals and converting to organic farming soon therafter. Since 2019, they have embraced biodynamics with the dual aim of both respecting nature and preserving the unique heritage of their ancestral lands.
The domaine sits just north of the Tarn river within the upper reaches of Gaillac and encompasses the region’s diverse terroir, with equal parts of the estate located in the limestone rich plateau some 300 meters above sea level planted to white varietals (Loin de L’Oeil and Sauvignon) and red varietals (Braucol and Duras) sited in the clay driven soils along the left bank of the Tarn.
In the cellar, Pierre and Laure are decidely hands off, choosing to ferment with indegous yeasts and adding sulphites only when the wine is at risk and in accordance with biodynamic specifications. We are excited to offer both Domaine Gayrard’s single-varietal Braucol and Loin de L’Oeil, each of which are exciting and soulful expressions of their unique Gaillac terroir and downright delicious.
Wines