Domaine Guion, 2020 Bourgueil 'Candide'

No.23 | What's In My Glass

This time next week I will have just arrived in Bourgueil, a couple days in advance of 12th edition of La Paulée d’Anjou taking place on Monday, June 17th at the Royal Abbey in the heart of the Bourgueil village. On this day, attendees alongside nearly a hundred producers will gather for a day-long event celebrating the rich history and mosaic of terroirs of the greater Anjou region. The day will feature a number of talks, masterclasses and other information sessions, including a round table that I am fortunate to be involved in; as well each domaine will present a selection of their wines to taste during the day. While I’ve tasted with a number of the producers who will be in attendance at La Paulée at the various salons in recent years, it’s been two years since I’ve been in Bourgueil proper, so I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with this region.

This week I opened the 2020 Bourgueil ‘Candide’ from Stéphane Guion, who produces a thoughtfully-made line-up of Cabernet Francs from his 8.5 hectares of organically farmed vines located on the côte in Benais.

The commune of Benais is unique in the Bourgueil appellation in that all of the lieux-dits lie on the tuffeau slopes, and the commune as a whole is rather removed from the influences of the Loire River, and tends to have a slightly cooler and longer growing season that other communes closer to the river. For these reasons, the wines from this commune have a very distinct character and marked tannins structure that, in my tasting experience, present quite differently in the glass than many other communes and appellations in the Central Loire.

Stéphane’s Cuvée Candide (formerly called his Cuvée Domaine) is from on average 30 year-old vines in the lieux-dits of Les Marquises, Les Caveries, La Maupas, and Les Chavannes in Benais, all of which have southern exposures, and sit on the Middle Turonian white tuffeau chalk with a very shallow layer (20-30cm) of sandy-clay topsoil. The wine is from hand-harvested fruit, with only about 10 to 15 days on skins, and fermentation and aging stainless steel.

The wine opens with lifted aromatics and a very fresh combination of sweet-tart red fruits such as raspberry, wild strawberry, red plum and cranberry. The nose presents in a more savoury fashion, with underlying herbaceous notes like woodsy or twiggy herbs like thyme as well as a bit of cedar leaves. While lifted and open on the nose, it wine isn’t too overtly floral. The palate continues with impressively bright, snappy, brisk acidity, which is a bit surprising given the warmth and solaire nature of the 2020 vintage. The tannins are firm, taut, tightly wound, with a subtle flesh to them and fine cotton-like texture. The fruit and herbals from the nose are consistent on the palate, with some piquant spiciness on the palate such as chilli flake, cardamom and clove. While the tannins are firm and acidity elevated, the wine is lean, elegant and almost playful with a lovely juicy fruit core, and yet it is also sufficiently structured, and well-toned, and it finishes with a persistent chalky minerality. This is Stéphane’s “early-drinking” cuvée in his range, but will absolutely age well for the medium term (likely longer). I should also add that this wine is a smashing value retailing for around the $20-22USD mark (sometimes less depending on where you are). Given the time of year, I can envision this wine on a picnic table, outdoors, surrounded by nature, with a bountiful spread of grilled sausages and veggies, perhaps an herby grain salad, sliced in-season tomatoes, and lots of friendly smiles.

I had the opportunity to visit Stéphane back in May 2022, and his wines are a mirror image of the vigneron that makes them. Stéphane is a soft-spoken, gracious, sincere and conscientious person, and he approaches his work in the vineyard and cellar quietly and carefully, without any fanfare or bells and whistles. When you taste with him, you can feel his pride in the work that he does and yet he doesn’t demand time in the spotlight. His appropriately-named Cuvée Candide (candid in English) and his entire range of Cabernet Francs are humble, thoughtful, traditional, equally engaging and yet don’t command attention. They perfectly embody who Stéphane is as a person and the essence of what Cabernet Franc as a grape is all about.

Stéphane at his domaine and home in May 2022