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.
Minée Haute cuvee comes from a small plot of gravel and shale soil which is located
above the Minée Basse cuvee.
On the nose there are floral aromas of acacia, honeysuckle with subtle waxy-apple and cooked-butter aromas; a faint but distinctive nail-varnish/kerosene note .The palate is full of ripe stone fruit—peach and apricot—melding with nutty, red-apple flavours. Lees ageing shows itself as a soft, creamy texture, yet bright acidity and a stony mineral streak keep the wine balanced. The finish is smooth and gently saline, more understated than the nose suggests.
