Les Maisons Rouges ‘Clos de Pavée’ Bourgueil Rouge 2019

Location: France, Loire, Bourgeuil

Winemaker: Pierre Borel

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Soil: Sandy gravel

Winemaking: Fermented and aged entirely tank with just a touch of sulfur added after racking.

From the Importer Selection Massale: Angers native Pierre Borel is a man with a plan. After an Oenoviti diploma and stints in Muscadet and all around the Loire valley, notably at Domaine des Griottes - where he first learned about natural wine - and most recently at Domaine du Mortier, he picked a small but historical parcel of a very unique terroir within the village of Bourgueil to start his estate. The vineyards sit just a stones throw from the historic Benedictine Abbaye in the center of town.

Pierre has been making wine since 2006 with the old vines of the ‘Clos de Pavée’ (a true clos), which is a two and a half hectare parcel planted in gravel soils, a big difference from the clay/limestone usually found around him. After a few years of working these old vines, he decided that he needed to uproot and replant the whole parcel to his liking and settled on planting two hectares of Cabernet Franc and half an hectare of Chenin. The vines are now six years old. Pierre works the vines alone, doing everything manually, and he wants to keep it that way. He is a firm believer in organic viticulture, certified by AB, and while he doesn't believe the AOC system is a mark of quality per se, he views working within the AOC a commitment to the winemaking traditions in the area.