Domaine de la Butte Bourgeuil Mi-Pente 2018

DOMAINE DE LA BUTTE Mi-Pente 2018

Domaine de la Butte is winery located in AOC. Bourgueil (right bank of the Loire, west of Touraine, Central Loire) created in 2002 by vigneron Jacky Blot. After founding Domaine de la Taille aux Loups in 1989 in Montlouis-sur-Loire, and bringing his Chenin Blanc white wines to international fame, he acquired Domaine de la Butte located on one of the most beautiful slopes of Bourgueil, facing south , bordered by a forest dominating the flood plains. In total 15 hectares, with Cabernet Franc or Breton vines, as it is locally known, with an average age of 30 years. The entire slope has a bed of limestone rock and different upper soils and microclimates. The bedrock is very close to the surface everywhere, barely covered in clay in the lower part of the slope and more sand in the middle slope. Not a single vine is planted in the lower Loire floodplain. The terroir is exceptional due to the permanent presence of limestone, its orientation and its south-facing slopes.

These singularities give rise to four wines with their particular characteristics. Blot's objective is to produce wines of the highest possible quality, with a long journey through time. To do this, Blot uses the same demanding "lutte raisonee" vineyard practices to care for its white grapes in Montlouis and Vouvray. All rows are plowed and no chemicals are used to encourage roots to penetrate deep into the subsoil. Blot keeps its yields low, eliminating shoots at the beginning of the growing season and the green harvest in August. Remove leaves to increase sun exposure, ensure aeration of vines, and facilitate manual harvesting. All the grapes are selected by hand and harvested at optimum maturity, then placed in small boxes for transport to the winery, where they are sorted on a sorting table. The fruit is de-stemmed and descends by gravity into the wood and concrete fermentation tanks. Blot ferments each cuvee, for different periods of time, using only indigenous yeast.

Domaine de la Butte Mi-Pente 2018 is made with 70-year-old Cabernet Franc strains. Mi-Pente comes from the Grand Cru de Bourgueil, the middle area of ​​the slope where the upper layer of the soil is the thinnest and the limestone rises to the surface.

The 2018 vintage is considered an excellent vintage in terms of quantity and quality with highly aromatic and expressive wines for both whites and reds with slightly less acidity than usual. The vegetative cycle was very favorable with the exception of the rains in June that caused some episodes of Mildew that were handled without many setbacks by the winegrowers. The summer was dry and warm and the grapes were harvested in an impeccable sanitary condition with little selection. The manual harvest was carried out in mid-September.

Winemaking; the selected clusters are de-stemmed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in wooden casks without layering. Aged 1/3 of new French oak barrels, 1/3 in barrels of one wine, 1/3 of barrels of two wines for 16 months. Bottled without filtration or clarification.

Domaine de la Butte Mi-Pente 2018 is medium garnet. The intensity on the nose is high, with notes of cherry, plum, currant, spices, licorice, white pepper, earthy notes, truffle, black olive, tobacco, light smoked with a subtle note of brett that adds complexity. In the mouth it has a magnificent concentration and definition, with fine and abundant tannins and a long and persistent aftertaste. It is a wine that can be drunk already, however its excellent material and concentration will allow it to evolve and gain nuances in the coming years.

Production: 16,500 bottles approx. Alc: 13.5%

Optimal consumption: 2020-2036.

Pairing: its wide pairing possibilities range from red meats, stews and ripe cheeses, to vegetables. Lamb, steak, turkey, duck, rabbit, meatloaf, mushrooms, etc ...