Notify me
2020 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie
Depending on vintage and terroir, Cabernet Franc shows so many personalities in the Loire Valley that it’s thrilling to check in every year and sample the grape variety across several villages, from Saumur to Chinon. This cuvée comes from Bourgueil on the northern bank of the Loire River, an appellation that can produce serious, age-worthy Cabernet Franc. This bottling, though, is the ultimate bistro or picnic Bourgueil, a red that radiates joy and versatility while offering enough spine to stand up to heartier dishes. The Boucard family, who has been making wine here since 1822, ages Alouettes for eight to twelve months in stainless-steel tanks to preserve as much of the fruit’s bright, fresh character as possible. Evoking blackberries, black cherries, and graphite, this is a wine you’ll want to have on hand all summer.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Bourgueil |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Domaine de la Chanteleuserie |
Winemaker: | Thierry Boucard |
Vineyard: | Planted from 1967 - 1980, 8 ha |
Soil: | Sand, Clay |
Aging: | Fermented and aged in stainless steel cuves |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2020 Sancerre Rouge "Champs d’Alligny"
France | Loire
Previously blended into the domaine’s Sancerre rouge, the Champs d’Alligny is now its own bottling, a successful experiment if there ever was one.

2023 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
France | Loire
Vinified with a gentle, terroir-focused touch—few reds will slake your thirst with the ease and finesse of Cuvée Alouettes.

2021 Vin de France Blanche
France | Loire
This skin-contact wine is redolent of blood orange and hyssop—a perfect apéritif for olives and anchovies.

2023 Chardonnay
France | Loire
Some wines deliver well beyond expectations—this is one of them.

2021 Saumur Champigny “Terres Chaudes”
France | Loire
Thierry has perfected the art of coaxing this Cabernet Franc’s soulfulness and elusive finesse into bottle.

2023 Chinon Rosé
France | Loire
One of the first rosés Kermit imported, this wine has been consistently delicious for four decades.

2017 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
France | Loire
A single-vineyard bottling whose age lends a soft, drawn butter richness to its bright, tart citrus palate.

2023 Vouvray
France | Loire
Gentle and refreshing on the palate, it boasts a delightful balance of stony minerality with luscious, almost honeyed fruit and flowery notes.

2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
France | Loire
Intensely dry and mineral, the structured Les Arceaux is a bottle to pair with a meal rather than to drink as an apéritif.

2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
France | Loire
This racy wine is a perfect match for all types of crustaceans as well all by itself on a sunny afternoon.
About The Producer
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie
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
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Chenin Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2023 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Rouge "Champs d’Alligny"
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2023 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Beaux Monts”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Chenin Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2023 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Rouge "Champs d’Alligny"
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Cabernet Franc “Huguette”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2023 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Beaux Monts”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.