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2017 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre BretonAlthough Catherine and Pierre Breton are known primarily for their Cabernet Francs from Bourgueil and Chinon, they also craft a sparkler as well as a few whites from Catherine’s home AOC, Vouvray. In 2002, about a decade and a half after they began making reds, Catherine turned to her parents’ domaine to source the Chenin Blanc grapes for these newer bottlings. Today, Catherine and Pierre are joined by their daughter, France, and son, Paul, who shows a particular interest in the white wines. Reflecting the at times dramatic vintage variation of this slice of the Loire Valley, the Bretons’ Vouvrays are incredibly transparent vintage after vintage. In some years—2016, for example— La Dilettante canbe slightly tendre, even while retaining a sturdy spine of acidity and minerality. This 2017, by contrast, is dry, floral, and all lean muscle, with notes of pear, green apple, and Meyer lemon. Delicate, precise, and succulent at the same time, this beautiful blanc will pair well with fresh seafood and light summer salads and pastas.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Vouvray |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Catherine & Pierre Breton |
Winemaker: | Catherine & Pierre Breton |
Vineyard: | 40 years, 5 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | There is no maloactic fermentation and the wine is bottled in the spring following harvest |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
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2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
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2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
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2021 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
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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.
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
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A delicate, aromatic red in the “drink now!” vein.
2021 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 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.
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2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
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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 Jasnières “Dyane”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Beaux Monts”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Champs d’Alligny
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2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
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2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
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2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
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2021 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
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2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
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2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
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2022 Jasnières “Dyane”
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2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
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2021 Chinon “Beaux Monts”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Champs d’Alligny
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch