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2023 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: | 2023 |
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: | 10.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
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This divine red allies the power and finesse one would expect from this great terroir.
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.
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
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For this Vouvray, Paul has opted for a demi-sec style utterly unique in its combination of honeyed richness and flinty verve. This bottling is hard to resist on its own, but you might also try serving it with a simple cheese platter.
2023 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
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Delicate, precise, and succulent at the same time, this beautiful blanc will pair well with fresh seafood and light summer salads and pastas.
2021 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
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This wine is deep and textural, with serious presence on the palate and a dry, flinty finish.
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
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There isn’t a spot in the world better suited for Cabernet Franc, and their old vines produce the raw material for one of the best reds in the Loire valley.
2022 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.
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
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2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
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Brisk red-fruited twang, some herbaceous zest, and an absolutely mouthwatering zingy finish.
2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
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Peppery and bright, earthy and juicy all at once.
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
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2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
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2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
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2023 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
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2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2019 Savennières Moelleux
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Val de Loire Blanc “Cirrus”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet 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.