Domaine Gayda
Domaine Gayda
Background
One of the leading modern wineries of Languedoc, Domaine Gayda started life in 2004 as a collaboration between owners Tim Ford and Anthony Record with winemaker Vincent Chansault, who cut his teeth in South Africa at the acclaimed Boekenhoutskloof of Franschhoek, Cape Province. A patchwork of organic vineyards near the village of Brugairolles, the estate’s properties started life in 1749 as a coaching inn for travellers, about 10 km southwest of Carcassonne. This land had been famous as the location of the ‘Moscow Tree,’ a landmark used to navigate by pilots of the “Aéropostale” airmail service, including the distinguished aeronaut and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Yet the tree itself only took its name from the vines that surrounded it, a cadastral title that now still proudly adorns some of the finest wines to emerge from the estate. It was on this site, nestled amongst some of their most venerable holdings, that the domain built a modern winery, cellar and restaurant, aiming to achieve the most effective possible synthesis of tradition and innovation, with a combination of novel plantings and local varieties, all nurtured via the most ecologically sensitive vineyard practices possible.
What we say:
The debut vintage in ‘bottle’ for Chemin de Moscou ‘Reflet’. The previous few years have only been available as a special release magnum. Grenache-led with Syrah following along in a fine style. The wine is deep, smooth and beautifully sweet-fruited, but like its opposite, the classic Chemin de Moscou, the wines shows tremendous focus of line and length. The wine impresses very much now, but due to the controlled focus at its heart, it shall live a long time in the bottle.
Vineyards and winemaking
Alongside their home vineyards, Domaine Gayda has developed an enviable portfolio of holdings across Languedoc-Roussillon, now totalling more than 90 hectares of organically farmed vines, with further parcels in Minervois la Livinière, as well as the villages of Estagel and Latour-de-France in Roussillon. They vinify the typical varieties of the region, but have taken advantage of cooling Atlantic influences to introduce novel plantings of Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Vinification is avowedly modern, their state of the art facilities allowing Vincent to maintain strict temperature control and scrupulously minimise contamination. These control measures facilitate Gayda’s minimal intervention and low sulphur approach to winemaking (‘nothing added, nothing removed’), with grape and terroir always taking the lead. Fermentation and maturation take place in a variety of mediums, with stainless, oak foudres, concrete vat and terracotta amphorae all used. The use of concrete and terracotta emphasises purity of fruit, aromatics and floral notes, some of Gayda’s more exclusive cuvees eschewing oak influence to foreground the natural complexity of high-quality fruit after stringent hand picking and selection.
Commercial and artisanal
Gayda produce a broad portfolio encompassing entry level pours through to some of the finest contemporary wines in Languedoc-Roussillon. One of our staunch favourites with restaurant customers, Gayda are always clear-sighted regarding market demand and customer expectation, bringing their quality and artistry to bear to produce incredible value in every price bracket.
Their Wines