Chateau Bonnezeaux has fast become one of the Loire's cult winemakers producing dry Chenins from this famous sweet wine region in the Loire valley. Because of French wine laws they are labelled with the humble Vin de France label!
The Chateau dates back to the 19th century but was neglected and abandoned for 30 years before Guyonne Saclier de la Bâtie took over in 2012, when she restored 3 hectares of Chenin Blanc vines in the heart of the Bonnezeaux appellation, guided by biodynamic principles and careful replanting. Winemaker Pierre Boisseau took over in 2019 and acquired another 3 hectares. Fruit is hand-harvested and crushed in a traditional mechanical press. employing a low-intervention approach—fermentations are spontaneous, and the wines are bottled without fining, filtration, or added sulphites.
In the cellar, the philosophy is hands-off. Grapes are picked by hand, pressed gently, and fermented using only natural yeasts. The wines age in used oak barrels, and minimum sulphur additions resulting in a wide spectrum of aromas and elements.
La Minée Basse is a new plot surrounded by woodland at the bottom of a gravel slope.
On the nose there is a burst of citrus - zesty lemon peel and a hint of grapefruit, accompanied by notes of white blossom and wet stone, a nod to the gravelly, schist-filled slope where the grapes grew. Again a faint but distinctive nail-varnish note typical of Bonnezeaux's Chenins. On the palate, La Minée Basse exhibits green apple and juicy yellow pear followed by ripe nectarine and peach. There’s a mineral snap running through the mid-palate—think chalky riverbed—that keeps things fresh. Twelve months in neutral oak barrels brings a gentle creaminess, but it never overpowers the pure fruit. Meanwhile, a touch of lees adds a saline edge, giving the wine a satisfying grip.
You can enjoy its bright, zesty energy right away—or tuck a bottle away for five to seven years and watch the minerals soften and the lees character blossom.
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