Producer: Frédéric Gounan - White Tree Vineyard

Frédéric Gounan - Vignoble de l'Arbre blanc

"These pebbles in the ground are basalt, bits of volcano. They're black, hard as a dog, they break all the tools, it's amazing! Here, we say that between two stones, there's a pebble that grows."

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Where?

Saint-Sandoux is a small commune located in the foothills of the Chaîne des Puys, about thirty kilometers south of Clermont-Ferrand. Along with Aurélien Lefort and Patrick Bouju, Frédéric Gounan is one of the winegrowers reviving Auvergne viticulture, under the banner of natural wine, in the Puy-de-Dôme vineyard belt, this former area of ​​mixed subsistence, wine, and fruit growing that borders the volcanoes from north to south, from Riom to Boudes. The Arbre Blanc vineyard seems to take its name from a large tree planted in the heart of the vines; in fact, this name has been recorded in the land registry for a very long time.

Frédéric comes from a farming family that has lived in Saint-Sandoux since at least the French Revolution. A former mechanic and prototype designer for the French motorcycle brand Voxan (headquartered in Issoire), he refused to integrate into the industrial world and turned to wine. With his partner Caroline, he wanted to work in harmony with nature and take advantage of the magnificent terroirs of his native village, without "spoiling the vines" as in the past: he realized that everything that comes from this land possesses exceptional taste qualities.

Frédéric earned a professional certificate as a farm manager (BPREA). In 1999, he took over plots of Gamay d'Auvergne, planted other grape varieties, and, at the same time, apprenticed with Emmanuel Giboulot in Burgundy. His initial results encouraged him to continue. Its Pinot Noir, Sauvignon, and Pinot Gris vintages are among the tastiest and most sought-after in Auvergne.

Terroir and Soils

We are located in the Chaîne des Puys, a land of lava and basalt. The Pinot Noirs grow on black basalt soil, while the Sauvignon and Pinot Gris grapes grow on white clay-limestone soils with basalt granite. Sometimes, large stones rise up and damage the tools.

Plots and Grape Varieties

Small estate on the Puy de Saint-Sandoux (1.6 ha), composed of 1.10 ha of Pinot Noir and 1/2 ha of white grape varieties, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon. Frédéric began by cultivating pre-existing Auvergne Gamays, but was unable to maintain these undersized vines for long.

Growing Methods

In addition to organic and biodynamic practices, Frédéric is a proponent of photosynthesis, a solution to the harsh and contrasting climate. He practices lyre-shaped training, which exposes the foliage to light and air, which helps produce the sugar that will be transferred to the grapes: a guarantee of fully ripe fruit at harvest. He cultivates the soil biodynamically, particularly with horn manure, and cultivates and straws it. The life of the soil is of the utmost importance to him.

Always a mechanic at heart, Frédéric makes his tools and tinkers with his tractors according to his needs.

Vinification

All the wines are macerated and without added sulfur, either at bottling or in barrel treatment. The blending is done by tasting the barrels: the best one serves as the basis for the blend. This is the principle behind his red cuvée Grandes Orgues, blended first before the cuvée Petites Orgues. For the whites, the Sauvignon Blanc is directly pressed using a vertical press, to which he adds the destemmed Pinot Gris. At the end of fermentation, the vat is sealed and macerated for six months, then aged for a year in barrels.

The Wines

For Frédéric Gounan, minerality is not a nebulous concept but a tangible reality: biodynamics promotes minerality through a symbiosis between the soil and the plant. The inert soils of conventional viticulture are, according to him, incapable of transmitting it. His Pinot Noirs express the depth and power of basalt soils and very pure red fruits. The whites are atypical, elegant, and complex, sometimes with notes of quince and rhubarb. Frédéric trusts his wines: he has noticed that, even when they go through difficult, even worrying, periods, they bounce back on their own. This is the very definition of living wines.

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