L’AUSTRAL - PAULINE MOURRAIN & LAURENT TROUBAT
FRANCE, LOIRE, SAUMUR-PUY-NOTRE-DAME
Beginning with four hectares leased in Saumur Puy Notre Dame, Pauline and Laurent at L'Austral expanded their winemaking journey in 2020 by acquiring two additional hectares of Grolleau and Chenin besides a new house. These parcels had been organically farmed for 15 years (their original vines have been biodynamic since the early '90s, thanks to the pioneering Philippe Gourdon.)
The move, just five minutes from their previous home, was driven by the access to caves carved into the chalk below the house. The ideal environment for the long, slow fermentations and ageing that Pauline prefers. As she notes, "It's been perfect, especially as the region continues to warm. These hotter vintages can be beautiful; they really just need time and the right conditions, which these caves allow in abundance."
In the cellar, Pauline works gently. The whites are pressed slowly overnight, and fermentations continue low & slow for months at a time, in all various vessels. Concrete eggs and amphora are among her favourites. For the reds, she works at odds with the regional tradition, macerating much of the Cab Franc and Grolleau as gentle whole bunch infusion. The approach yields wines that land light on their feet but with lovely complexity and delicate structure.
Available Now
WHITE
NEW 2023 - Octopus Blanc - Chenin
"A young wine from old vines" is Pauline's idea for Octopus. 2023 was a year with plenty of rain but much warmer than 2021, so this year it is particularly easy drinking, with a balanced acidity and long finish. Pressed very slowly, aged in stainless steel 6 months and bottled unfiltered.
NEW 2021 - Amandiers - Chenin
Pauline's favourite Amandiers vintage ever! Although a small yield as they suffered frost in early 2021, a cool wet vintage has led to a fresh, nervy and energetic expression of the parcel - one which can often be incredibly rich, Pauline works with amphora here to bring some crystalline purity to the wine - so the 2021 vintage is closest to her ideal.
NEW 2022 - Treillaujeard - Chenin
Hand harvested from a new 0.70ha parcel of 40 year old Chenin beside their house, still on the chalky tuffeau but on the north face of a little hill, with much less water in the soil than their other parcels. Pressed slowly and gently over 8 hours for phenolic complexity, fermented and aged 18 months in barrel in their chalk caves. Bottled unfiltered. A big, gastronomic cuvee that is drinking well now but will certainly reward patience in the cellar.
RED
NEW 2023 - Octopus Rouge - Grolleau, Cab Franc
Fruity, juicy and easy-drinking: 2023 has proven to be a bouncy and balanced year in Saumur, easy-going fruit with a pleasing freshness thanks to some late rains before harvest. 80% Grolleau, the remainder Cab Franc. Macerated in the mille-feuille style: half destemmed and half whole-bunch, layered in the tank for 10 days, aged simply for 6 months.
NEW 2022 - Plein Nord - Grolleau Gris
Hand-harvested from young Grolleau Gris vines (8 years old) - in the new parcels beside their house (these are planted on the edge of the Treillaujeard hill). Big bunches in 2022, macerated as majority whole bunch with 20% destemmed fruit for four days with very little extraction. Great to see a macerated Grolleau Gris from Pauline: perfumed and floral, with great clarity and length, a lovely little wine.
NEW 2022 - Manta - Cab Franc
2022 was a warm, dry year without water, and with grapes struggling to reach maturity Pauline had to time her picking well, and ended up going fairly late for the reds, hoping to avoid too much green tannin. A very gentle maceration and a very gastronomic red, mature, layered and rounded. Aged 8 months in concrete eggs.
NEW 2023 - Poupre (MAGNUM) - Cab Franc, Chenin, Grolleau
Poupre is Pauline and Laurent's experimental cuvée - the one rule is that they only bottle 700 magnums, so it must be a wine people insist on drinking a big bottle of! Fine and structured but easy and juicy. The big format is well-suited. A co-fermentation of three varieties in roughly equal measure: Chenin was de-stemmed, Cab Franc and Grolleau as whole bunches. A four-day maceration, then pressed to amphora for 8 months ageing.