Domaine de l’Austral

Saumur-Puy Notre Dame — Loire Valley

Certified Organic

While working on a farm in Australia, Pauline Mourrain and Laurent Troubat had their “A-ha!” moment that their calling was to work on an organic vineyard and make wine. While Pauline was interning with Aimeric Mélaric, she met Françoise and Philippe Gourdon of Château Tour Grise, who were retiring soon and in search of young talent to take over their historic estate.

Today, Pauline and Laurent have a total of 6.2ha of vineyards. They continue Tour Grise’s pioneering legacy by farming some of their best single parcels organically. They also help farm 4ha of vines from their neighbors, Domaine des Noades (Véronique and Jacky Ripoche). Having access to two neighboring, established organically farmed estates as well as a cellar was an exceptional stroke of luck – this has given Pauline and Laurent a variety of complementary sites to work with on Saumur-Puy Notre Dame’s famed Turonien chalk.

In addition to Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, l’Austral also has estate parcels of Grolleau Gris and Grolleau Noir. Vinification and aging takes place in cement tank, clay amphora, or neutral barrel, depending on the cuvée. Fermentation is always with native yeasts and bottling is with a minimal addition of sulfur. Pauline and Laurent’s long term vision is to make wines that truly reflect ‘a sense of place’ and their individual terroirs by focusing on healthy, living soils with a rich and diverse microbial presence.