One of our favourite French wine producers is Guy Cuisset at Chateau Grinou in Bergerac (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine), whose range of wines tick all the right boxes – well made, interesting top quality wines at competitive prices.
We worked with Guy Cuisset for more than 10 years and what impressed me was his continuing passion for producing wines of increasingly high quality – always looking to bring more intense fruit characteristics to the wine and looking for ways to better understand the factors which influence the development of the wine – whether it be the drainage in the vineyard. the way in which the grapes reach the winery or the fermentation and maturation process.
It is enthusiasm such as this which has helped to elevate the reputation of Bergerac wines above that of being a poor cousin of neighbouring Bordeaux. Personally I would always choose a decent Bergerac above an equivalent Bordeaux, as I suspect that a lot of Bordeaux is sold on the back of the reputation of the fine claret – and this can be a big mistake, especially when you consider the sheer volume of wine that is labelled as “Bordeaux”. Bergerac by contrast has to fight for its reputation and has recognised that this can only be done by producing wines of consistent high quality.
London wine merchant Corney & Barrow stock some of these wines.
KEY LINKS:-
more on Chateau Grinou
RECOMMENDED READING:-
Dordogne, Bordeaux and the Southwest Coast (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Patricia Atkinson’s The Ripening Sun: One Woman and the Creation of a Vineyard
Dordogne Berry Limousin Green Guide (Michelin Green Guides)
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