Domaine de la Cotelleraie ‘Pigeur Fou’ Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Rouge 2020

$24.00

Location: France, Loire, Bourgeuil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgeuil

Winemaker: Gérald Vallée

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Soil: thick gravel

Winemaking: No de-stemming; whole bunches go into tank and fermentation occurs for two weeks. The wine is aged in wooden vats for 6 months then bottled without filtration or fining.

‘Pigeur Fou’: the fruit reaches maturity thanks to the precocity of the terroir. A fruity raspberry nose with low tannin; very elegant, velvety and silky. Exceedingly food-friendly.

From the winemaker: “…I fell into it when I was little, as they say. My father Claude Vallée, who started working at the age of 14. Whereas in 1957 (when my father started out), the estate had 12 ha of vines as well as crops of asparagus and fruit trees, it is represented today by 27 hectares of vines. Since my takeover in 1997, I have therefore represented the first generation dedicated solely to wine.

Aware of having inherited an estate whose cabernet franc vines are planted on the best terroirs of Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, I decided in 1999 to set up a philosophy of organic cultivation with respect for the plant, the soils and the environment seemed to me to be a job requirement. To make quality wines, it is not enough to have technical knowledge, you must also have sensitivity, know how to listen to the plant, let it take back its natural rights and benefit from a balanced ecosystem with real microbial life in the grounds. Wine is a living material that is made above all around the vine stock throughout the year. This is why my team and I have set up a rigorous work schedule of ploughing, stripping, hoeing and treatment with sulfur or copper from the spring to avoid the use of chemical weedkillers. , fertilizers and other pesticides. Carrying out such work can only be envisaged with a close-knit team aware of the merits of such an approach.”

Location: France, Loire, Bourgeuil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgeuil

Winemaker: Gérald Vallée

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Soil: thick gravel

Winemaking: No de-stemming; whole bunches go into tank and fermentation occurs for two weeks. The wine is aged in wooden vats for 6 months then bottled without filtration or fining.

‘Pigeur Fou’: the fruit reaches maturity thanks to the precocity of the terroir. A fruity raspberry nose with low tannin; very elegant, velvety and silky. Exceedingly food-friendly.

From the winemaker: “…I fell into it when I was little, as they say. My father Claude Vallée, who started working at the age of 14. Whereas in 1957 (when my father started out), the estate had 12 ha of vines as well as crops of asparagus and fruit trees, it is represented today by 27 hectares of vines. Since my takeover in 1997, I have therefore represented the first generation dedicated solely to wine.

Aware of having inherited an estate whose cabernet franc vines are planted on the best terroirs of Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, I decided in 1999 to set up a philosophy of organic cultivation with respect for the plant, the soils and the environment seemed to me to be a job requirement. To make quality wines, it is not enough to have technical knowledge, you must also have sensitivity, know how to listen to the plant, let it take back its natural rights and benefit from a balanced ecosystem with real microbial life in the grounds. Wine is a living material that is made above all around the vine stock throughout the year. This is why my team and I have set up a rigorous work schedule of ploughing, stripping, hoeing and treatment with sulfur or copper from the spring to avoid the use of chemical weedkillers. , fertilizers and other pesticides. Carrying out such work can only be envisaged with a close-knit team aware of the merits of such an approach.”