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2021 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre BretonCatherine and Pierre Breton have handed the keys of their cellar in Bourgueil to their daughter France and her husband, Baptiste, who have made the entire family proud with this light-bodied, whole-cluster vinified, luscious Grolleau made for drinking cool. Épaulé-Jeté lives on!
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Grolleau |
Appellation: | Val de Loire |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Catherine & Pierre Breton |
Winemaker: | Catherine & Pierre Breton |
Vineyard: | 60 years, .8 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Silex |
Aging: | Carbonic maceration for 3 weeks in an open-top wood vat, wine is bottled in the April following the harvest |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 11.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
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2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
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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 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
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2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
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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.
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Dry Champagne-method sparkler that delivers tremendous value.
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 Rosé “La Ritournelle”
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Brisk red-fruited twang, some herbaceous zest, and an absolutely mouthwatering zingy finish.
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 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
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2019 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
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Vouvray Brut
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2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
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2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
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2022 Chinon Rosé
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2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
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2019 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236