2020 Orange Contact SGS
A savoury style of macerated wine, driven by flavours of black tea and kombucha. The Gewurztraminer also contributes flavours of tropical fruit, especially lychee and white flower, and brings a spicy component in as well.
Vivanterre Orange Contact SGS is a skin-contact natural wine made from Gewurztraminer, Sylvaner and Sauvignon Blanc blend. The Gewurztraminer and the Sylvaner are sourced from Alsace and the Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. The Gewurztraminer and the Sauvignon Blanc were macerated on their skins for three weeks, and the Sylvaner was direct press.
The Sauvignon Blanc grapes come from the Touraine-Oisly sub-appellation of the Loire Valley, a vineyard managed by Benjamin Delobel. The vineyard started organic conversion in 2013. The grapes come from 60-year-old vines planted in sandy soils rich in minerals with calcium, flint and clay. The grapes were destemmed and saw three weeks of maceration with pigeage, aged in stainless steel.
The Gewurztraminer grapes come from the village of Heiligenstein in Alsace and are picked from 35-year-old vines planted on clay and blue slate. The whole clusters were placed directly into stainless steel vats for two weeks of skin maceration, foot trodden, then racked into amphorae. The Goepp Family farms the vineyards.
The Sylvaner comes from the vineyards of the Dreyer Family. The Sylvaner grapes also come from Alsace, a vineyard located in the village of Rosheim that is rich in limestone, with 60-year-old vines. The Sylvaner grapes were pressed, and the juice was added to the Gewurztraminer, which was macerating on its skins. There was no fining, filtering, or SO2 added during any phase of winemaking. Wines were aged until May 2021, when blending occurred just before bottling.
The harvesting, wine making, and elevage were done by Patrick Bouju(wine legend) and Justine Loiseau.
- Area: France, Auvergne
- Grapes: Gewurztraimer, Sylvaner, & Sauvignon Blanc