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2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre BretonThis wine is Catherine Breton’s brainchild. It is similar to the Trinch, but vinified using whole-cluster, carbonic maceration. La Dilettante is a delicate, aromatic red in the “drink now!” vein.
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Bourgueil |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Catherine & Pierre Breton |
Vineyard: | 2 ha, vines 30 years old |
Soil: | Gravel |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 12% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
France | Loire
Peppery and bright, earthy and juicy all at once.
2022 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
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This wine in the Breton book is a pure old-vine Grolleau from soils of clay and silex.
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
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Fresh and punchy Cabernet Franc from fun-loving Catherine and Pierre Breton. Light, juicy, and ready to go. Drink young, drink chilled, drink plenty.
2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
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Brisk red-fruited twang, some herbaceous zest, and an absolutely mouthwatering zingy finish.
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
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Delicate, precise, and succulent at the same time, this beautiful blanc will pair well with fresh seafood and light summer salads and pastas.
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
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For this Vouvray, Paul has opted for a demi-sec style utterly unique in its combination of honeyed richness and flinty verve. This bottling is hard to resist on its own, but you might also try serving it with a simple cheese platter.
2022 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
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Delicious and honest naturally sparkling Chenin, bottled with no dosage and no sulfur.
2019 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
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This divine red allies the power and finesse one would expect from this great terroir.
2021 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
France | Loire
Serve it with a slight chill, and you’ll have a satisfyingly fresh red with medium fruit and a light dusting of herbs and tannin.
About The Producer
Catherine & Pierre Breton
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Racines”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Chardonnay
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Racines”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Chardonnay
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.