2019 Michel Gahier Arbois Trousseau La Vigne de Louis

WINEMAKER: Michel Gahier
REGION: Jura, FR
VARIETAL: Trousseau
VITICULTURE: Organic

Le Vigne du Louis is a Trousseau that is lighter than the Grands Vergers and Le Clousot, it is a paler colour but has a vibrant freshness and hints of smokiness. It is made in exactly the same way as the Grands Vergers but the fruit is sourced from younger vines. Younger vines usually produce lighter wine styles of less complexity than older vines, but wines that are pleasant drinking nevertheless. A small amount of sulphite was added to this wine when it was bottled. It has good structure, very good length and is quite juicy – hence is very drinkable. The ‘young’ vines are approaching thirty years old and lie on a south west facing slope. This vintage you can detect a fuller, supple velvety character emerging in the wine which is very appealing.

Michel Gahier lives in the centre of the village of Montigny-les-Arsures which lies near the central town of Arbois. The reason this is significant is that Montigny is regarded as the finest terroir for the Trousseau grape in the Jura. When we first tasted his wines we were very excited by their purity and their minerality. Michel is a quiet but talented vigneron who tends his vines meticulously and watches carefully over his wines as they are maturing. He likes to make his wine using the traditional techniques of the Jura. Michel tends 6 hectares of vines of which 3 hectares are given over to Trousseau and the remainder is split between Chardonnay and Savagnin.