François Saint-Lô: Vineyards
As indicated François Saint-Lô is located in Haut Nueil, a tiny village in the Vienne département. Here we are on the very edge of the Saumur appellation, the commune of Berrie being one of nine communes in the Vienne département that are eligible. Nevertheless this is of little relevance to François, who seems to have no interest in taking advantage of local appellations; those first wines I tasted were set firmly within the Vin de France category, and those I have tasted more recently were the same.
François started out renting 2 hectares, and this has expanded over the past few years, so that he now has 4.5 hectares. In addition, he also buys fruit alongside that which he picks himself, increasing his harvest by the equivalent of another hectare. His own harvest comprises Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Pineau d’Aunis, while the fruit he purchases gives him some Gamay and Grolleau to work with. Initially the approach to viticulture leant towards the organic, although it the early stages there was no certification, because François was just starting out (and it takes three years to certify). Having said that, eight years on, I still believe the only information we have regarding François’ methods is his word.
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