GRÉGORY GUILLAUME
L’Excentrique 2021
Ardèche, France
Merlot from twenty year old vines hidden away in the hills, which undergoes around a month of carbonic maceration followed by élevage in old barrels for ten months. A little shy on opening, a touch of air reveals a wine full of Southern charm, pairing plum, black fig, earth and spice to beautiful effect. A versatile wine that would work beautifully alongside a leg of lamb.
Merlot
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Grégory Guillaume started making wine in 2011, having originally moved to the Ardèche to explore caves.
Greg discovered the joys of growing grapes and making wine from a friend who he worked alongside before starting out on his own. He’s a laid-back, easygoing guy who makes wine the way he does simply because it is what he likes to drink. His way of farming fits into a wider philosophy built around a deep respect for nature and its ability to bring harmony to one’s life.
Today Greg farms about three hectares of vines around the picturesque villages of Villeneuve-de-Berg and Alba-la-Romaine. The vineyards are planted over clay and limestone and are tended organically, biodiversity is championed and they visibly teem with life. The beautiful setting and Greg’s work in the vines provide the kind of pristine fruit that is so important when making wines this way.
Greg makes his wines in a simple shed on the outskirts of Villeneuve, using the most basic of equipment and his knack for texture and perfume to make the kind of pure, nourishing wines we find ourselves reaching for time and time again.