Domaine de la Chevalerie ‘Grand-Mont’ Bourgueil Rouge 2015

Location: France, Loire, Bourgeuil

Winemaker: Laurie & Emmanuel Caslot

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Soil: Eolian sand, clay, and tuffeau

Winemaking: Longer maceration on the skins; aged somewhere between 7 and 10 months in old barrel

The vineyard site of ‘Grand-Mont’ is one of the most treasured in Bourgeuil, and is Chevalerie’s rarest bottling. This prized parcel, the most respected commune in Bourgeuil, faces perfectly south/west, with eolian sand, clay, and tuffeau a mere half-meter below the surface. 55 year old vines. The Caslot family began making this cuvée in 2009 and consider it their best offering.This is wine built for cellaring, and will be drinking well between 2030-2045. -Lennie

From us at M&L: The Caslot family traces their roots back to the 1640s, and today thirteenth generation winegrowers Emmanuel and Laurie Caslot tend to the 33 organically/biodynamically farmed hectares around the village of Restigné and the hills of Benais. All the fruit is hand-harvested with careful sorting and destemming, short maceration time, and sulfur kept to a gentle minimum to avoid over-volatile acidity. ‘Peu Muleau’ is the first of their line of wines called ‘Cuvée Parcellaires’, which features different geological expressions of Cabernet Franc, the signature grape of Bourgueil.