Cabernet Franc

Catherine and Pierre Breton's reputation preceeds them wherever they go. They are true bonvivants, working with passion and integrity and inspiring those around them. Whilst Pierre and Catherine share the workload in the vineyard, in the winery Catherine makes her own cuvées under the label 'La Dilettante', or 'The Dabbler', which include the Chenin parcels and a little Cabernet Franc. Pierre vinifies the rest. They own 11 ha, spread across Bourgueil, Chinon and Vouvray which they converted to biodynamic relatively early on in 1994 (Demeter).

Cyril is a relative newcomer to Anjou, and he is part of the new-wave Angevin who arrived in the region and were offered support and knowledge from fellow vignerons Mark Angéli and Olivier Cousin. Cyril owns 3 plots across 3Ha in Thouracé, Aubigné and Malignant. Varieties are Grolleau, Gamay and Chenin Blanc which express pure fruit with a firm backbone of acidity. Cyril abandoned SO2 use in 2008 and hasn't looked back ever since.

If one speaks of Clos Rougeard, it should be immediately clear that here we have a cult producer. The wines of Clos Rougeard are represented in all the 3 Star restaurants in France and beyond.

Located in the Southern tip of Anjou in Haut-Layon, Château de Passavant makes 14 different wines from 55ha across 7 appellations. Certified organic since 1998 and biodynamic since 2011, current winemakers Claire and Olivier Lecomte are fourth generation vignerons at the Château, striving to maximise the potential of the incredible range of soils which include schist, sand and gravel, along with different aspects and slopes all playing their part in the formation of the wines.

Château de Coulaine is one of the oldest estates on the Chinon block. Wine has been made here, on the famous terroir of Véron, since the 13th century. However, in the 19th Century, phylloxera wiped out all but 1ha situated near Clos de Turpenay. It wasn't until 1988 that vigneron Etienne de Bonnaventure began restoring the vines up to the current 18ha, simultaneously making the decision to work without chemicals. In 1998 the domaine was the first in Chinon to be certified organic by Ecocert. Varieties grown are mainly Cabernet Franc, with a small amount of Chenin Blanc.

In 1998 Bruno Rochard took over the reigns from his parents at Domaine de Mirebeau, situated in Anjou close to the town of Rablay sur Layon. Before Bruno took over, the domaine was farming grapes and making wine conventionally, so Bruno undertook the task of converting the 6 ha to organic production. The vines consist of 50% Chenin Blanc, 27% Cabernet Franc and 33% Grolleau, the latter of which Rochard champions as a perfect grape for red wine production, particularly with soils of clay and pebbles which keep the vines neither too hot nor too cold.

Situated on famous clay limestone of the hill of Puy Notre Dame in Saumur are the 13ha of vineyards of Manoir de la Tête Rouge. The domaine was established long ago in 1649 and current vigneron Guillaume Reynouard took over the estate in 1995. A few years later, in 1998, he began the transition of turning the vineyards organic, and they have been certified biodynamic since 2010. Today Guilaume makes a wide range of honest wines with the intention of expressing the terroir of Saumur in a most honest and accessible way.

Son of natural wine linchpin, Olivier, Baptiste Cousin has taken over the reigns of some of his fathers vineyards, predominantly the Gamay, Grolleau, with a small percentage of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Baptiste is very much his father’s son, carrying on with the same natural traditions such as horse ploughing, biodynamic preparations and no additions of SO2.