The Côtes du Forez appellation is located between the Loire and Allier rivers in the center of France. Domaine Verdier-Logel is the leading estate of this small and obscure appellation where vineyards are few and far between. Due to the difficult climate only parcels with the best exposition and soils are planted with grapevines. The appellation’s laws mandate Gamay as the sole grape to be used and Verdier-Logel produces separate wines from volcanic and granite soils. The Volcanique cuvée is produced from parcels with volcanic/basalt soils. In contrast to the granite soils which are sandy and very poor, the basalt soils have on average 25% of clay mixed in, which helps with water retention. The basalt soil tends to give the wine a bit more tannin and “rusticity”. The Volcanique is produced using the semi-carbonic technique with two-thirds of the bunches whole cluster (The same sandwich as the CDG). The wine is matured in tank until the following spring and then bottled.