2021 VDF Octopus Rouge
2021 VDF Octopus Rouge
A spring wine for easy drinking. Juicy, crunchy and chillable, Pauline’s go-to lunch wine.
Cuvée: Octopus Rouge
Style: Still
Colour: Red
Grapes/Blend: Grolleau, Cabernet Franc
ABV: 13.5%
Vintage: 2021
Winemaking: A 50/50 blend of Grolleau and Cabernet Franc. Half of the grapes of each variety were processed as whole bunch and the other half were de-stemmed. The Cabernet Franc grapes were sourced from part of Manta, specifically 6 rows, while the Grolleau grapes come from new vines beside the house. The vinification of both varieties was done separately in two fibreglass tanks, a 10 day maceration for each. Fermentation took place with indigenous yeasts. Bottled unfined and unfiltered in spring 2022.
Fermentation: Concrete tanks for 10 days.
Sulphur: 15mg/l at bottling
Soil: Tuffeau.
Yield: 30 hl/ha.
Both had previous careers in engineering and, while taking time out travelling, they ended up WWOOFing in Australia working on a vineyard – hence the name, L'Austral. Pauline studied oenology in Dijon while Laurent worked as a ski and sailing instructor. Pauline did an internship with Aymeric of Melaric. That is how they arrived in Le-Puy and were introduced to Philippe Gourdon who leased them the vineyards.