LE LOUP BLANC
In a wild and out of the way corner of Minervois lies the vineyards and winery of Le Loup Blanc. The road in and out is rough and 100% dirt. The limestone cliffs and garrigue choked hills speak of lonely remoteness. One almost expects to look up on a bluff and see a wolf.....a white wolf, of course!
In reality, what you really might see is Alain Rochard & Nicolas Gaignon slowly stocking the old vines of their surrounding hills, checking grapes for ripeness or pruning vines in the bone chilling Tramontane wind that forces it’s power in pulsating waves across the Aude from the distant and towering Pyrenees.
Le Loup Blanc (vineyard of the white wolf) create a tantalizing array of wines from such varied grapes as Carignan, Carignan blanc, Syrah, Tempranillo, Grenache Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Fermentation is mainly in cement tanks and large older wood tanks. Creative blends, old vines, biodynamic viticulture, natural wine making and minimal added sulfer dominate the process. Add this to the garrigue heavy local terroir and you’ve got some expressive and alluring wines that’ll have you howlin’ at the moon!