Description

Pierre Gaillard has a background steeped in viticulture and wine making, growing up amongst vines he was caught aged 12 ploughing a nearby vineyard with a horse. He then went on to study viticulture in Beaune and winemaking in Montpellier before becoming viticultural manager for the famous Rhône house of Guigal. He bought his own vines in St Joseph and Condrieu in 1981 before adding Domaine Maledoc near Banyuls-sur-Mer in 2002, he manages a total of 77 hectare of vines today.

His Collioure Blanc, Tremadoc, comes from vines running down to the coast and is made from 60% Grenache Gris, which gives weight, picking up the mineral flavours from the Schist soils, 25% Vermentino giving freshness and citrus notes and 15% Rousanne, showing his Rhone Valley background adding floridity and honeyed richness and texture. The whole is fermented in oak at low temperatures with lots of stirring of the yeast lees. He stops the malolactic fermentation to keep the freshness. This is a lovely wine and should not be missed.