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Bâtard-Princess

Yannick Amirault

Bâtard-Princess Bottle
Appellation
Val de Loire
Variety
Chenin Blanc
Age of Vines
5
Farming
Certified organic
Soil
Clay and flint over tuffeau
Altitude
50 meters
Fermentation
Hand-harvested, double sorting, slow direct pressing, natural yeast fermentation in French oak barrels
Aging
10 months in French oak barrels

Overview

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.

Loire, France
  • Location
    Loire, France
  • Appellation
    Val de Loire
  • Proprietor
    Yannick Amirault
  • Winemaker
    Yannick & Benoît Amirault
  • Size / Elevation
    20 hectares / 50 meters

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