Before phylloxera, Chenin Blanc was planted alongside Cabernet Franc in the western Touraine, in what would become AOCs Chinon, Bourgueil, and St-Nicolas de Bourgueil. All three appellations were established in 1937, but only in Chinon was Chenin allowed to remain. As a result, any Chenin Blanc north of the Loire was replaced with Cabernet Franc. Wishing to revive a tradition extinct for nearly a century, Benoît Amirault began replanting Chenin Blanc in 2017. He chose a terroir suited to Chenin and adjacent to Le Grand Clos – a shallow, flinty clay-limestone soil over tuffeau bedrock. Bâtard-Princess is a fitting name for such an illicit endeavor resulting in a remarkably aristocratic wine. Given the youth of these vines, this portends a bright future for the return of Chenin to Bourgueil. Just give the INAO about another century to figure this out.
