Verdier-Logel ‘La Volcanique’ Rouge 2022

Location: France, Loire

Winemaker: Odile, Jacky, & Julie Logel, Maxime Gillier

Grapes: Gamay

Soil: volcanic, basalt

Winemaking: fermented semi-carbonic with two-thirds of the bunches whole cluster. The maceration lasts about 11 days. The wine is matured in tank until the following spring and then bottled.

From the Importer Wine Traditions: The ‘Volcanique’ cuvée is produced from parcels with volcanic/basalt soils, with the basalt have on average 25% of clay mixed in, which helps with water retention. The basalt soil tends to give the wine a bit more tannin and “rusticity”.

The Côtes du Forez appellation is located between the Loire and Allier rivers in the center of France. The nearest town of note is St. Etienne which was significant to the booming mining industry that dominated the region through the nineteenth century. The miners required a lot of wine to quench their thirst and as late as 1930 there were 5000 hectares planted in Côtes du Forez. Today, there are less than 200.

Domaine Verdier-Logel is the leading estate of this small and obscure appellation where vineyards are few and far between. The Côtes du Forez hillsides are foothills of the volcanic mountains of the Massif Central and have soils of granite and volcanic composition. The cool climate and rocky soils impart a strong, earthy fragrance to the wines which combines well with the elegant fruitiness of the gamay grape. Due to the difficult climate only parcels with the best exposition and soils are planted with grapevines. The appellation’s laws mandate Gamay as the sole grape to be used and Verdier-Logel produces separate wines from volcanic and granite soils. The Domaine Verdier-Logel is certified both organic and bio-dynamic.