Domaine Gayrard - Organic Gaillac wines

Worldwide, just over 6,000 grape varieties (cépages) have been recorded as being used to make wine, and around 600 are still in use, but the majority of the world’s wines are made from just 14 grape varieties[1] .

As an aside, when we talk about the loss of biodiversity, it’s not a dirty word. There are dozens of grape varieties just as enjoyable as the 14 world stars.

Let’s continue. With 750,000 hectares, France accounts for 10% of the world’s vineyards. With 633 hectares planted[2], the Loin de l’œil grape represents 0.08% of the French wine-growing surface area. I’ll let you calculate what this represents on a global scale!

Let’s stop with the figures and this long preamble, there’s no debate, CQFD. The title is not usurped, I’m going to tell you about a rare grape variety!

Why far from the eye?

It wasn’t during a marketing meeting that the name was found. Since “brain storms” didn’t exist in ancient times, it takes its name simply from its morphology: the peduncle of the bunch is so long that it’s a long way from the bud, the “eye” in wine vocabulary.

In Occitan it’s Len de l’el. In French, it was first called “Cavalier” or “Cavalié”. It wasn’t until 1850 that it finally took the name Loin de l’œil, a literal translation of the Occitan.

A grape variety with an accent.

Loin de l’oeil vine The origin of Loin de L’oeil remains an enigma. Robert Plageoles, a renowned winemaker and author of numerous books who has brought the indigenous Gaillacois grape varieties back into the limelight, has speculated that it may have come from the wild vines of the Grésigne forest (Tarn)[3].

The hypothesis has not been confirmed and the mystery remains. What is certain, however, is that it is a South-West grape variety, and an old one at that, as attested by several 16th-century documents citing it under its Occitan name of Len de l’el.

Even today, it’s almost exclusively found in Gaillac. If you know of any other appellations that use it, please let me know. As far as I’m concerned, the only exception I know of is near Cahors, still in the south-west, where a winegrower makes it into a mellow wine. A demanding culture

The size of the bunches varies, but they are often large, heavy and compact, resulting in significant differences in ripeness at harvest time. To remedy this, a passerillage is carried out on the vine: a few days before the harvest, vine by vine, the stalks of the ripest bunches are pinched off so that the sap can concentrate on those that are still green. It is often necessary to harvest in two stages. In the first pass, between 75% and 80% of the bunches are harvested, and ten days later, the remaining bunches are picked.

Loin de l’œil is also sensitive to gray mold and mites, so depending on the year, it may also need to be sorted on the vine.

I might as well tell you that mechanical harvesting and Loin de l’œil are not very compatible!

Sweet or dry whites?

Loin de l’œil, because it lends itself well to the over-ripening of its grapes and the development of “noble rot”, was mainly used to make moelleux wines. It produces magnificent, highly concentrated wines with aromas of ripe fruit (pears, quinces), passion fruit, dried fruit and hints of honey: a gourmet delight. With sweet wines no longer in vogue, production has declined sharply, and it is increasingly used to make dry whites.

For a long time, blending with Mauzac or Ondenc, other native Gaillacois grape varieties, was favored (Mauzac is also the grape variety used to make Blanquette de Limoux, an ancestral method, so let’s not be too chauvinistic!) More recently, it has been combined with Sauvignon Blanc. Indeed, Le loin de l’œil is characterized by low acidity, so when blended with Mauzac, Ondenc or Sauvignon, the roundness and suppleness of the former are rightly associated with the freshness of the latter: a success.

With the recent trend towards varietal wines, some winemakers (Domaine Gayrard is one of them!) are producing 100% Loin de l’œil dry whites, giving this grape variety a new lease of life. White wine lovers who prefer low acidity will appreciate. All the richness and aromatic complexity of this grape variety is expressed whether aged in vats or barrels. Aromas of apple, pear, exotic fruit, acacia-type floral aromas and hints of honey: it’s a festival. Barrel-aged on lees (barrel fermentation for simplicity’s sake) brings vanilla notes and a roundness that gives it great length and persistence on the palate. You’ve got a wine that will make a meal out of you. Poultry terrine, blanquette de veau, fish in sauce, etc. And, if you want superb harmony, pair it with hard cheeses such as Comté, Beaufort or Gruyère (the real thing): a wonderful discovery.

Finally, it is possible to vinify this wine in oxidative mode, which is marginal but will please my friends in Catalonia (Vins Doux Naturels oxydatifs) and Jura (Vins Jaunes). The result is a wine with a maderized profile. For lovers of originality, I can only recommend it. See you in five years at Domaine Gayrard!

Loin de l’œil is a rare grape variety, but one with many attractions, whether dry or sweet white, blended or single-varietal, aged in vats or barrels. A final word of advice for the curious and the discoverers: single-varietal wines are best enjoyed chilled, but not cold, at 14/16°!

Enjoy your meal!

 

Source :

[1] Top 14: Airen (Spain’s leading white grape), Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo Noir, Ugni blanc, Grenache Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Carignan Noir, Sangiovese (known for Chianti), Bobal Noir (mostly Spain), Sauvignon Blanc, Mourvèdre, Pinot Noir.

[2] Source: Interprofessionnel des Vins du Sud-Ouest -IVSO- 2018

[3] Fernand Cousteaux and Bernard Plageoles, Le vin de Gaillac 2000 ans d’histoire, 2001