Frédéric Mabileau

Situated in the village of Saint-Nicolas-De-Bourgueil, Domaine Frédéric Mabileau is a byword for biodynamic and organic viticulture. The estate was created by Frédéric and his wife Nathalie when they struck out separately from Frédéric’s parents in 1991. Beginning with just 3 hectares of rented vines, the couple built up the estate over several decades until the tragic death of Frédéric on the eve of the 2020 harvest.

The locals rallied around to help with picking that vintage, and his sons – Rémy, who had been working by his side for several years, and Charly, who was running a restaurant in Bordeaux – along with Frédéric’s wife, Nathalie, took over the reins permanently. The spirit of Frédéric’s inexhaustible enthusiasm for experimentation and progressiveness lives on. For Frédéric, the choice to farm biodynamically was not an end; instead, it allowed the wines to reflect the terroir more effectively.

This also meant no yeasts were added in the cellar, relying only on naturally occurring yeasts to start fermentation. In their view, this enhances the “sense of place” of these wines. New parcels have recently been added to bring the holdings to 35 hectares, of which 11 are in Anjou and 24 in Saint-Nicolas and Bourgueil. An ambitious new cellar project was completed in 2020, along with an on-site restaurant, Chez Odette, run by Charly.