After
founding Domaine de la Taille aux Loups in 1989 and bringing its wines
to international acclaim, Loire master winemaker Jacky Blot acquired Domaine de la Butte
in the appellation of Bourgueil during the summer of 2002. He seized
upon the opportunity to make equally great reds when he acquired an
ideal bloc of Cabernet Franc vines averaging 30 years of age, entirely
on one south-facing slope, bordered by a protective forest. The entire
slope has a bed of limestone rock and different top-soils and
microclimates. The variations give rise to the four, site-specific cuvees
that Blot crafts at his Bourgueil domaine. He aims to produce dramatic,
intensely flavored and original red wines. Domaine de la Butte
wines have already attracted international acclaim. Blot credits his
experience with late harvest Chenin Blancs for giving him an
understanding of the phenomenon of ripeness essential for making the
finest Bourgueils possible.
Blot employs the same exacting “lutte raisonee”
vineyard practices in tending his white grapes in Montlouis and
Vouvray. All the rows are plowed and no chemicals are used, to
encourage the roots to penetrate deep into the subsoil. Blot keeps his
yields low by removing buds at the beginning of the growing season and
green harvesting in August. He removes leaves order to increase
exposure to the sun, ensure aeration of the vines, and facilitate hand
harvesting. All grapes are hand selected and picked at optimal maturity
and then placed in small boxes for transport to the winery, where they
are further sorted on a table de tri. The fruit is destemmed and descends by gravity into wooden and concrete fermentation tanks. Blot ferments each cuvee for different periods of time, using only native yeast.
Le Pied de la Butte comes from a clay-limestone soil located at the bottom (foot or pied)
of the slope. It is vinified and aged in stainless steel tanks to be
enjoyed upon release in the Spring following harvest. The wine offers
generous, savory black cherry and cranberry fruit with a soft texture.
The Haut de la Butte cuvee
comes from the perfectly exposed upper slope on a unique clay and silex
top-soil over a bed of limestone. The fruit here is bright, pure and
very expressive, offering deep and complex flavors of black
berry/cherry fruit and minerals. It is aged in 2-3 year old barriques and bottled before the next harvest. The Mi-Pente bottling is the most concentrated cuvee,
as it comes from the oldest vines, which are 50 years old. The wine is
given a one-month long maceration period, and is then aged for 18
months entirely in barriques made for the domaine in Burgundy from
Allier and Troncais oak, which are 50% new and 50% one year old. This
is one of greatest Cabernet Francs made in the Loire valley.
