Name: Croizade
Producer: La Vignereuse
Country: France
Region: Gaillac
Type: Red
Grape(s): Shiraz/Syrah, Duras

Winemaker: Marine Leys

Before starting the Vignereuse, Marine Leys worked in film production,
living in Canada, Ireland and eventually, Turkey. It was there that
Marine found herself helping her employer plant a vineyard. She worked
in the cellar and eventually took over the winemaking after studying
in Beaune. Deciding wine was more fun than film, Marine headed back
to France in 2012, settling in Gaillac to work with, and learn from,
her friends, the legendary Plageoles family. Sufficiently tutored,
she found 5 hectares of vines in Andillac and the Vignereuse project
was launched in 2014. Gaillac, in the Southwest, might be one of the
most underrated AOPs in France. It definitely has some of the oldest
vineyards, established in Roman times, with great soil and terroir.
But the region has always been underestimated - no brand recognition,
as in Burgundy or the Loire -- meaning that land prices are lower, and
more innovation and experimentation can move in. So it makes sense
that Gaillac is a hotbed for natural wine, with about 20 natty
winemakers based here.