Our long-time favourite winemaker in France has always been Guy Cuisset at Chateau Grinou in Bergerac.
We used to import his wines – and they essentially provided the most reliable and enjoyable “house” red and white (Cuvée Tradition), but also some of our premium wines – e.g. oaked-aged Merlots (Réserve, Grand Vin) and a stunning dessert Saussignac AC. Guy speaks good English and is a delightful and cultured man who came over for some of our tastings in Harrogate. He is now helped by his son Julien, who studied oenology and viticulture in Bordeaux and this, combined with experience further afield in Germany and France, contributes to a new vision which is nevertheless allied to a traditional respect for nature and the “Terroir”. It was Julien who directed the vineyard towards organic farming in 2006.
The Chateau has now gone organic very successfully, even recycling all the water on the estate and filtering through reed beds. The video below explains their approach, including the use of naturally-resistant grape varieties , rducing the need for chemical spraying in the vineyard.
The website unusually has a very good English translation – something that cannot always been relied on with French vignerons! There are some excellent images, such as that shown above and plenty of information – information which is not shrouded in “mystique” or poetry in the way the French love.
Chateau Grinou is at Monestier on the western edge of the Bergerac appellation – a kilometre or so further on and the Chateau would be in Bordeaux . I suspect the Cuisset’s prefer being one of the best Bergerac producers rather than yet another Bordeaux producer!
Chateau Grinou 24240 Monestier (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine)
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