white grape · regional specialty
Loin de l'Œil
Gaillac, Tarn, Southwest France
Say it
lwan·duh·luh·ee
VIVC prime name is Occitan 'Len de l'El' (len-duh-LEL); 'Loin de l'Œil' is the French calque of the same phrase — both mean 'far from the eye'
On the palate
peargreen applewhite peachhoneysuckleapricot
How you spot it blind: delicate white florals on a round, full frame with characteristically low acid
The story
First written down · 1842, Gaillac
Once comprising 30%+ of Gaillac plantings before phylloxera, Len de l'El was rescued by its mandated minimum-percentage inclusion in the 1938 Gaillac AOC, rebuilding from 112 ha in 1958 to ~630 ha by the mid-1990s.
Where it lives
Gaillac AOC, Tarn, Southwest France
Shows up as
still whitesweet whitesparkling
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Also answers to Loin de l'oeil, Len de l'El.
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