Olga Des Grottes - Olga Marraud Des Grottes

The estate is a small, family-run vineyard, managed by my partner Bert van Wassenhove. Our 2 hectares of vines, situated on granite soils, are cultivated primarily by hand, with the utmost respect for the vines. Our Gamay vines are on average 40 years old. Our wines are made exclusively from our own grapes. We practice minimal intervention, never adding sulfites and relying on the indigenous yeasts naturally present on the grapes. To ensure a good start to the winemaking process, we prepare a starter culture before the harvest. Maceration can vary from 3 days (Bas les Masques) to 1 month (Avoir le vat entre deux casks). There is no manipulation of the wines, no additives; the grape juice is perfectly natural. Once fermentation is complete, we bottle the wine. Aging takes place in the bottle. There's no filtration during bottling either: the wines are drawn from the top of the tank to limit the presence of fish in the bottles. It all started with Gavinol wines. Subsequently, over several vintages, more intimate micro-cuvées appeared: Avoir la cuve entre deux chais (Having the Tank Between Two Cellars); Bas les Masques (Off with the Masks); and Bonbonne (Bonbonne). These cuvées are the result of a more experimental approach, with the desire to break free from the model within which Gavinol operates.