Domaine de la Chevalerie's Cuvées Parcellaires from Restigné
No.41 | Producer Feature
Earlier this week I posted a new tasting video featuring Domaine de la Chevalerie’s 2014 Bourgueil ‘Bretêche,’ one of the estate’s five cuvées parcellaires (single vineyard wines) from parcels in Restigné. As I noted in the video, these five wines (Galichets, Chevalerie, Bretêche, Busardières and Peu Muleau) are all from parcels very close to the domaine, but each has a slightly different terroir and offers up its own unique personality in the glass.
Being the nerd that I am, and knowing that there are many out there that are visual learners, I thought it might be worth supplementing the video with some maps and other visuals to give a better sense of the diversity of the terroirs across this small corner of Restigné.
The viticultural area in Restigné begins about 3km north of the Loire River on the east side of the Changeon River, with the commune of Benais to the northwest, the communes of Ingrandes-de-Touraine and St-Patrice (administratively amalgamated as Coteaux-sur-Loire) to the east, and La Chapelle-sur-Loire to the south. About two thirds of the vineyards in Restigné are situated on the ancient alluvial terrace (labelled Fw on the geological map) with about one third on the slopes stretching northeast towards the Benais Forest. The area of the slopes is dominated by soils influenced by the Middle Turonian white tuffeau chalk (C3b) with a narrow band of the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau chalk towards the top of the slope (C3c), and a tiny sliver of vineyards on the sands and clays dating to the Senonian age (C4-6S) on the plateau at the top of the slope.
The Caslot family is farming parcels across Restigné and Benais, and five of their six lieux-dits for their single vineyard cuvées are concentrated in a part of Restigné within a 500m or so radius of the domaine, which takes its name from the lieu-dit ‘Chevalerie.’ Their sixth cuvée parcellaire is from the highly-regarded lieu-dit of Grand Mont in Benais, which is about 2.5km northwest of the domaine.
The slope in Restigné stretches a little over a kilometre from north to south, and as indicated on the map above by the fuchsia line marking the “Coteaux de Bourgueil,” the upper end of the slope in Restigné follows the tree line of the forest. The slope as a whole has a gentle southwest-facing exposure, and from a bird’s eye view these lieux-dits are all situated more or less mid-slope, with the exception of Peu Muleau, which sits just above.
Naturally, as we drill down a bit further, there is a lot more nuance here that is worth noting. The rather large lieu-dit (30ha) of Galichets actually straddles the ancient alluvial terrace and the côte, with its soils ranging from more deep alluvial sands and gravels at the southern end of the lieu-dit to shallower, more complex soils as you move up the slope. Domaine de la Chevalerie’s parcels here at Galichets are right at the heart of how these terroirs transition, and their parcels are more stony with a lighter textured clayey-sand topsoil, and a deeper silty-sand subsoil. The lieu-dit Chevalerie is almost an extension of Galichets with very similar soils, but towards upper portion of the slope, thus we have thinner topsoil here and a more pronounced influence of the Middle Turonian white tuffeau chalk. (It is worth noting that the Caslot family owns all of the parcels of the Chevalerie lieu-dit, thus having a monopole of this vineyard.)
As I alluded to in my video on the cuvée Bretêche, it would logically seem as though the lieux-dits Bretêche and Chevalerie would have similar terroirs being that they are almost directly across from one another. But the nature of how the slope cuts through the commune, Bretêche and Busardières are at the upper limits of the coteaux, and actually have more in common from a terroir perspective. Both of these vineyards have moderately deep topsoils that have a higher proportion of clay, mixed with chalk and sandstone pebbles. The subsoil is relatively shallow, but with more clay, and the influence of the soft micaceous and glauconitic chalk (Middle Turonian) begins between 50cm and 130cm of the surface. Laurie Caslot shared with me that, in general, Busardières is a little more clayey than Bretêche, which has more silt and sandy mixed with the clay.
Finally, Peu Muleau is situated at the very northern end of the slope, as the slope begins to plateau just before the forest. The soils here are the deepest of all the cuvées parcellaires and the overarching influence being soils from the Senonian age, with a clayey-sand topsoil with about 25% flint pebbles throughout, followed by sands and silty-sands in the subsoil, and about 2m of soil before the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau chalk bedrock is reached.
Each of these cuvées is vinified more or less the exact same way with hand-harvested fruit that is entirely destemmed and not crushed, fermentation in a combination of concrete and stainless steel, maceration via infusion with skin contact ranging from 24 to 30 days depending on the vintage, and a short aging (7 to 9 months) in older 400 to 500L oak barrels, with the domaine preferring age their cuvées longer in bottle rather than in barrel or tank. The exception to this would be Peu Muleau, which is fermented and aged entirely in concrete.
What to Expect in the Glass
The last time I tasted these cuvées all together was at the domaine in the spring of 2022, and I will admit my note taking skills in those days weren’t quite as thorough and insightful as what they are today. That said, I can offer some guidance to tasters based on the opportunities I’ve had to taste these wines in isolation.
In terms of drinkability, Peu Muleau and Galichets are the most open and approachable when young and also tend to be released earlier than the others. Peu Muleau is convivial and friendly, with mouth-watering acidity, silky tannins, snappy red fruits and spice. While Galichets presents a little more earthy, with a round, supple structure. Extremely pleasurably, with the most archetypal Bourgueil profile that balances generosity without being weighty, and freshness without austerity. I might reach for a bottle of Peu Muleau to have with charcuterie (rillettes de porc anyone?!) and the Galichets would be a fine accompaniment with a classic roast chicken and autumn vegetables.
The cuvée Chevalerie has a regal demeanour. Vivid, powerful yet reserved. I find the combination of the lighter textured soils and impact of the tuffeau creates a vertical, column-like structure, while still having plenty of length. Delicate, finely woven tannins give structure without being rigid. This would be a fine pair with classic duck confit with braised lentils.
The cuvées Bretêche and Busardières transition to profiles reminiscent of those we’d expect from classic clay-limestone terroirs of the great vineyards of the Loire - that is to say wines that are more concentrated and densely structured. Bretêche, with a little less clay impact than Busardières, is structured but with immense approachability. I found the 2014 that I tasted recently to be harmonious, with a distinctive herbal profile, as well as beautiful purity and transparency. Busardières brings to mind the classic saying: “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” There is power, density and structure that is wrapped in the most elegant frame. Seductive and sultry, with lots of purply undertones (dark fruits and violets), with impressive concentration and length. I would pair Bretéche with a fattier piece of lamb, like a slow roasted shank or shoulder, while Busardières calls for something with a bit more refinement, like a roasted duck breast with plum gastrique accompanied by pommes anna.
All of these cuvées balance drinkability and structure in their own way, and can be enjoyed in their youth or with many years of bottle age. Thanks to the domaine’s commitment to bottle aging their top wines in their tuffeau cellars often for several years prior to release, it is possible to find these cuvées available for sale when they are entering their prime drinking window. What’s more is they are all an exceptional value, typically retailing for $25 to $40USD (15 to 30 Euros).
