Domaine Ugo

After 15 years in the semiconductor industry (the little chips that make your phones, computers and other gadgets work, or not) and another 12 years looking after the vines of Domaine Guirardel, here we are off on new adventures.

We've found the perfect place for our wines and ourselves in the Basque Country. They can finish maturing in a magnificent semi-underground cellar while we apply everything we've learned about sustainable agriculture and natural winemaking to other areas of gastronomy. Developing knowledge, sharing it, and promoting the art of living, all in the most convivial atmosphere possible, were our secondary pleasures; this has now become our primary objective.

The Vineyards:

Rooted on the southern slopes of a hillside, between 185 and 225 meters above sea level, the vines that produce our wines overlook the Pyrenees. The clay-loam soils are enriched with gravel and coarse sand. In places, veins of large glacial pebbles drain the soil and store the heat necessary for achieving beautiful, complex, and concentrated ripeness. Winter pruning is kept short to limit yields without resorting to green harvesting. Topping is abandoned in favor of trellising. Soil management is carefully considered to encourage the development of a self-sufficient ecosystem that does not depend on regular fertilizer applications. These practices promote the balance between plant and soil, the health of the vines, and thus, the quality of the grapes.

The wine cellar:

By taking the time to vinify beautiful grapes, we can extract the natural stabilizers and antioxidants that will make the wine suitable for aging, stable upon opening, without the use of additives. Indigenous yeasts, present on the grapes at harvest time and in the cellar, are the driving force from beginning to end. Barrels, stainless steel tanks, stoneware jars, bottles—different containers that, in turn, house the wines, allowing them to mature gently. After at least three years of aging, each vintage is ready to be enjoyed. Our wines are never better than when paired with a dish they complement.