La Grange de l'Oncle Charles

From a few acres of vines left by his grandfather and after settling in the family barn belonging to his great uncle, a farmer, Jérôme François created Uncle Charles' barn.

The estate was created at the beginning of 2014 in Ostheim, a small Alsatian village. At the end of 2017, Yann Bury, Jérôme's new partner, entered the farm and picked up a young Ardennes mare.

Without a tractor, plowing is carried out with our workhorses: Sirus and Fastoche. This allows us to avoid unnecessary soil compaction which suffocates biological and microbiological life. We let our flock of Ouessant sheep graze in the rows of vines. In addition to mowing the grass, they provide organic fertilizer to our soils. The vineyard, meadows and orchards are worked biodynamically with the greatest respect for age-old traditions.

The vinifications are natural and without any input. The harvest is only done in the morning from 6 a.m. until 12 p.m. in order to preserve the freshness of each berry as much as possible. The grapes are harvested in 20 kilo boxes. It can be carried out in several passes to ensure that each bunch of grapes has optimal maturity. A strict sorting is therefore imposed on the entire team of harvesters. A second sorting is carried out when the boxes arrive at the press in order to eliminate all the unhealthy berries and other remaining leaves. The grapes are then poured into a pneumatic press. This allows gentle and progressive pressing, between 10 and 16 hours for light maceration. The juices then flow by gravity into a settling tank. The must will be left to settle for around ten hours in order to eliminate coarse particles (seeds, skin residue, etc.). Alcoholic fermentation begins thanks to the indigenous yeasts present in the cellar and on the grape skins. Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally if the wine needs it. Once fermentation is complete, aging on total lees will begin. It will last between 6 and 36 months, depending on the balance of each vintage. The wines are then racked and bottled without any input. The use of sulfur is limited to wines with remaining sugars, while reducing the doses as much as possible.

Information

Domain Name:
La Grange de l'Oncle Charles
Winemaker's Name:
Morgane Stoquert et Jérôme François
Country:
France
Region:
Alsace-Lorraine
Appellations:
Alsace, Vin de France
Grape varieties:
Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sylvaner, Muscat, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürtztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Chasselas rose et blanc, Chasselas, Pinot Gris et Muscat.