2022 Bourgueil, Les Vingt Lieux Dits, Domaine du Bel Air, Loire
About this WINE
Domaine du Bel Air
Pierre Gauthier from Domaine du Bel Air is considered one of the pioneers of the Loire Valley and a champion of Bourgueil. The estate has been the flagship estate in Bourgueil since 1979, when Pierre took over his father's lands in their home village, Benais. Pierre was among the first to gravitate towards organic farming as early as 2000 for his 18 hectares of vines.
His winemaking techniques were also considered ahead of their time in the Loire Valley, as he was already introducing long élevage for his Cabernet Franc and natural yeast selections in his winemaking process. In 2016, the baton was handed over to his son Rodolphe, but Pierre remains active in winemaking and vine management.
This family affair is making some of the most exciting wines in the Loire. From the entry-level Jour de Soif to the iconic Clos Nouveau, Domaine du Belair’s Cabernet Franc range perfectly represents the diversity and quality of the Bourgueil terroir. Clos Nouveau is a fairytale story of a vineyard, once an iconic vineyard in Bourgueil, which was unfortunately left abandoned; Pierre jumped at the chance to buy and restore this one-hectare clos in the early 2000s. With similar terroir profiles to a certain Le Bourg from Clos Rougeard, Clos Nouveau has received many accolades from critics and is considered one of the best Cabernet Francs in the world.
Still a dormant beast compared to its neighbour Chinon, the Bourgueil appellation has much going for it and is one to follow closely.
Bourgueil
Bourgueil is a qualitatively-important, dry red wine appellation in Touraine, if quantitatively small (1,500 hectares).
Located west of Tours, its vineyards are planted with Cabernet Franc on calcareous clay and sandy soils gently inclined south, towards the River Loire. The wines are medium to full-bodied and fleshy, possessing rich, perfumed raspberry and forest-fruit characters, underpinned by a fine structure with the potential for up to 20 years ageing. Wines are vinified for up to 18 months in French oak barrels.
Recommended producers: Domaine de la Butte (Jacky Blot), Domaine de la Chevalerie
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is widely planted in Bordeaux and is the most important black grape grown in the Loire. In the Médoc it may constitute up to 15% of a typical vineyard - it is always blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and is used to add bouquet and complexity to the wines. It is more widely used in St.Emilion where it adapts well to the cooler and moister clay soils - Cheval Blanc is the most famous Cabernet Franc wine in the world, with the final blend consisting of up to 65% of the grape.
Cabernet Franc thrives in the Loire where the cooler growing conditions serve to accentuate the grape's herbaceous, grassy, lead pencil aromas. The best wines come from the tuffeaux limestone slopes of Chinon and Bourgeil where growers such as Jacky Blot produce intense well-structured wines that possess excellent cellaring potential.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
As the name suggests, 20 plots combine to make this expression of Bourgueil. This is a serious wine made with ageing and development in mind. Darker fruits with sweet spice and bramble notes all give it a distinctly autumnal feel while the fine tannins add to its complexity. This wine has huge ageing potential and always offers incredible value – this year being no exception.
Chris Hanssen, Account Manager, Berry Bros & Rudd
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee