Vincent & Marie Tricot
AUVERGNE
The revival that has driven the Auvergne since the beginning of the 21st century is that of a new generation of winegrowers highlighting long-forgotten terroirs. With Gamay d'Auvergne as the main grape variety, as well as Pinot Noir, and both vineyard and cellar work done in the most natural way possible, the ambition displayed by Vincent and Marie Tricot is that of fruit, frankness and drinkability in their wines.
Vincent Tricot's journey was made in several stages until he settled in the Auvergne with his wife Marie, in Orcet, south of Clermont-Ferrand on the left bank of the Allier. First, he trained in the Beaujolais – where he discovered sulfur-free winemaking –, before working in Chile, then in Costières-de-Nîmes, before taking over a domain in the Auvergne that had been farmed organically for a good thirty years. Alongside parcels of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Gamay d'Auvergne – with less compact bunches of grapes, and a more marked acidity than Gamay du Beaujolais – represents the vast majority of the 5 hectares of the estate. Vinified mostly with carbonic maceration, with sometimes some punching down to optimize a light extraction. Tillage, indigenous yeasts and bacteria, very little or no added sulphur, to yield cuvées dominated by frank fruit and good drinkability. Since 2007, faced with recurring inconsistencies in AOC certification, the estate has now stuck to the Vin de France appellation for all its cuvées.
