Château Gilbert & Gaillard

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1 Press kit Château Gilbert & Gaillard The jewel in the Saint-Chinian crown

I. About Gilbert & Gaillard A. Background: Philippe Gaillard, the born wine grower Born in Touraine (Loire Valley) in 1958, he is the fourth generation of a family of wine growers.

2 I. About Gilbert & Gaillard A. Background: Philippe Gaillard, the born wine grower Born in Touraine (Loire Valley) in 1958, he is the fourth generation of a family of wine growers. Philippe Gaillard Figure 1: The Gaillard family harvesting grapes in the Loire Valley He met François Gilbert in October 1978 during the harvest season in the Médoc. He and François visited a number of châteaux and developed a passion for the myriad types of vineyards and complexity of wine growing. He returned to Touraine and, despite his wine growing background, decided to go to a viticulture and oenology college in Carcassonne to perfect his knowledge of wine. He is always keen to point out that "this type of college, where you learnt how to do everything from vineyard through to winery, no longer exists. We used to make our own wine. After learning how to design the product itself, he soon realised that knowing how to market it was just as important, which is why he then attended a business school in Burgundy specialising in wine. After graduating from both schools, in 1984 he joined Duval, a company focusing entirely on wine sales to the Paris market, as a sales representative. In 1986, he became sales director. 1

B. Background: François Gilbert, the vineyard soil specialist A native of the Paris area, François grandfather was a Cognac producer in the Charentes region: Cognac Gilbert.

In 1986, he wrote his thesis on the quality policy of Languedoc hillside vineyards, focusing on the Saint-Chinian, Minervois and Corbières appellations.

The turning point: Their desire to share their insight into the wine industry The story began in 1989 when Philippe Gaillard was contacted by one of France s most prominent publishing companies Les

3 B. Background: François Gilbert, the vineyard soil specialist A native of the Paris area, François grandfather was a Cognac producer in the Charentes region: Cognac Gilbert. He specialised in geography very early on and passed two diplomas that would enable him to teach. Firstly, the agrégation teaching degree in 1982, then a PhD. In 1986, he wrote his thesis on the quality policy of Languedoc hillside vineyards, focusing on the Saint-Chinian, Minervois and Corbières appellations. François immediately decided he wanted to share his insight into the study of vineyard soils. C. The turning point: Their desire to share their insight into the wine industry The story began in 1989 when Philippe Gaillard was contacted by one of France s most prominent publishing companies Les Presses de la Cité to write a book about Languedoc wines. Philippe immediately realised that his friend François, an expert in vineyard soil geography, could help him produce the book, due to their complementary backgrounds. The publishers gave them their remit in no uncertain terms: If your first guide is not successful, we ll stop, but if it is then we ll commission an entire collection. As it happens, their first guide was a resounding success and they went on to produce many others on topics such as Bordeaux and California wines, ultimately becoming literary managers. Figure 2 : Their `Guide des Vignobles et des Vins collection 2

D. In 1989, they became entrepreneurs by founding the Gilbert & Gaillard group Building on their success, the Gilbert & Gaillard group was founded in 1989.

4 D. In 1989, they became entrepreneurs by founding the Gilbert & Gaillard group Building on their success, the Gilbert & Gaillard group was founded in Their first project involved writing a number of regional guides featuring estate-grown wines, for example, for which they selected growers on the basis of tasting results. Concurrently with this, they created Vins magazine in Their expertise also enabled them to become consultant publishers for major French groups including Heineken and Casino, offering a range of services such as training for wine sales staff. Figure 3: Blind tasting in the Médoc E. Branching out internationally As trailblazers in their field, they rapidly realised that the wine market was no longer national but international. Towards the end of the 20th century, all of France s wine regions had wholeheartedly embraced exports and moved into new markets such as the United States and Asia. In order to promote the spread of information and shed light on the French wine regions, the Gilbert & Gaillard group had to adapt. So its magazine was published in English and wines were selected using a point system out of 100 that everyone could understand. 3

The guides are now published in 9 languages:

Figure 5: Gilbert & Gaillard magazines and

to their selected wines as a reliable buying

Gilbert & Gaillard international competition.

5 The guides are now published in 9 languages: Figure 4: Strong international presence Figure 5: Gilbert & Gaillard magazines and the 2016 International Wine Guide By now acclaimed experts and highly skilled tasters, in 2007 they began awarding medals to their selected wines as a reliable buying cue for consumers. Over the years, they have developed an internationally renowned competition: the Gilbert & Gaillard international competition. Figure 6: Gold and silver medals awarded by the 2015 Gilbert & Gaillard international competition 4

6 Their medals are distributed in approximately thirty different countries. The Gilbert & Gaillard group has recruited the help of a number of tasters who comply with stringent selection criteria. The team of international tasters: Olivier Delorme France James TURNBULL France Xavier LANGLAIS France Evelyn ISRAEL Spain, Portugal Isabel Ferran Italy Roger SESTO Italie Joanne GIBSON South Africa Jamal RAYYIS United-states Denise COSENTINO China Alessio FORTUNATO China Figure 7: Presentation of Gilbert & Gaillard s international team 5

7 II. Back to their roots and living the dream: Château Gilbert & Gaillard A. About the estate Figure 8: Philippe and François at Château Gilbert & Gaillard François and Philippe began to breathe life into Château Gilbert & Gaillard in the 2000s. They gradually bought vineyards around the Château and have a current area under vine of 15 hectares, which fully meets their criteria in terms of consistent soil quality. The first stage was to renovate the winery then apply their philosophy to every aspect of the estate, from the vineyard to the winery and beyond. 6

8 Philippe and François pulled out all the stops to create a top-notch estate that would elicit the soil s quintessential qualities. In part II, we discover the answers to the questions uppermost in people s minds about Château Gilbert & Gaillard. B. An interview with Philippe Gaillard and François Gilbert This is often the first question people ask: Why did you decide to become wine growers? Philippe Gaillard: I don t think I became a wine grower, I ve always been one. When I was young, I wanted to find a different way of expressing my passion than what I d experienced within my family unit. But in later years, with hindsight I realised that I had no choice: wine growing was in my blood. They chose to live the dream, that of making their own wine. In so doing, they were challenging themselves by changing careers and stepping into the shoes of a wine grower. They decided to swap paper as their means of expression for the fruits of their labour. They would turn their knowledge to good account by producing top quality wine. By top quality, they meant a wine that would fully encapsulate sense of place and show impeccable balance, great finesse and elegance. Why did you choose the Saint-Chinian appellation area? François Gilbert: Throughout our career, we have had the opportunity of buying various châteaux, particularly in Bordeaux, but Languedoc seemed the obvious choice for us. Our first wine guide was on wines from Languedoc-Roussillon and I knew the appellation like the back of my hand for having written a thesis on the terroirs of Saint-Chinian. That was when I realised the extraordinary potential of the appellation, particularly the area around La Baume which is home to Château Gilbert & Gaillard. It is set on a rolling limestone plateau 200 metres above sea level, the highest point in the appellation, and therefore boasts excellent drainage. It is highly coveted and produces wines with wonderful finesse and freshness suffused with red berry fruit aromas. (NB: The Saint-Chinian appellation area is mostly formed of schist soils producing darkly coloured wines with low acidity levels and complex aromas with smoke notes). 7

Philippe adds: When we discovered this outstanding area, I realised we would be able to craft a superlative wine enhanced by minerality, freshness and elegance.

9 Philippe adds: When we discovered this outstanding area, I realised we would be able to craft a superlative wine enhanced by minerality, freshness and elegance. Do you carry out tasks on the estate yourselves? What is your style of winemaking? Philippe Gaillard: That s a question we re often asked because the offices where we receive the samples for our tastings and wine guides are in Paris. It s all about organisation. We group samples for the tastings by appellation and travel to and from the château often. François, myself and our team do all the work. The château is our dream and we are totally committed to it. In terms of winemaking style, we use gentle, controlled winemaking methods. The crop and tanks are cooled to prevent fermentation from starting too quickly and increase extraction of aromatic potential. Then we work the pomace using rack and return, pumping over and punching of the cap, if and when necessary. The rest depends on the results of daily tastings with the team. Our ethos is based on crafting signature wines that reflect sense of place. We want to stir people s emotions and produce a top quality wine that will amaze you such is its balance and elegance. Figure 9: Winemaking at Château Gilbert & Gaillard in

What is your vision for Château Gilbert & Gaillard Philippe Gaillard: Since we bought the estate, we have invested a lot of money to produce the finest wines and become one of the appellation s

10 What is your vision for Château Gilbert & Gaillard Philippe Gaillard: Since we bought the estate, we have invested a lot of money to produce the finest wines and become one of the appellation s leading lights. We equipped the winery with Nico Velo concrete tanks and invested in long-term, quality vineyard management, including harvesting by hand and tillage. We have just bought some horses to plough the soils and are developing wine tourism through our gites. Figure 10: The winery at Château Gilbert & Gaillard complete with its tulip-shaped Nico Velo concrete tanks Basically, we are a 15-hectare, top-notch family estate devoted to eliciting the quintessential qualities of the land Can you tell us more about your range of wines? François Gilbert: Our range revolves around the Saint-Chinian appellation. The Pour les Amis label is made from our young vines (approximately 10 years old) and is more of a fruit-forward offering, designed for drinkability. It s a wine for pleasure but nevertheless epitomises the characteristics of our vineyard soils. The Château wine is made from vines aged 25 and over. It is more complex with subtle spice notes. Lastly, our Roc Blanc is sourced entirely from our vineyard of the same name which is located at the highest point in the appellation area. It shows unparalleled finesse and elegance and is aged for a year in lightly, softly toasted oak casks. 9

11 Figure 11: The Château Gilbert & Gaillard range What are the benefits of working with Château Gilbert & Gaillard Philippe Gaillard: Above all, we are an active partner. We do as much as we can to help our clients by providing them with all the paperwork and information they need. Also, we like to share our philosophy by reaching out to others. The château is always open to clients who want to engage with its history and build up a long-lasting relationship. Similarly, we travel to our markets to meet our clients. Admittedly, having a dual role gives me credibility on a range of topics, allowing me to conduct masterclasses and conferences, thereby promoting the château and, more broadly speaking, wines from Languedoc- Roussillon. I d say our second main advantage is that nowadays, not only is it important to produce a top quality wine, it is just as important for consumers to identify with that wine. Consumers are increasingly inquisitive and need to know who made the wine, the ethos behind it, its story and so on. I think we have a lot of things to tell. 10

12 Figure 12: A masterclass conducted by Philippe Gaillard on the theme: How to taste a Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre blend 11

CHÂTEAU GILBERT & GAILLARD

CHÂTEAU GILBERT & GAILLARD AOC SAINT-CHINIAN PHILIPPE GAILLARD Born into a winemaking family in Touraine in the Loire valley, Philippe Gaillard studied winemaking and oenology and later became the Sales