Bourgueil Le Haut de la Butte 2022 Domaine de La Butte | Loire

The cuvée Le Haut de la Butte from the Domaine de la Butte is located, as its name suggests, at the very top of the hill, on limestone terroirs covered with flint conglomerates. The plot faces due south, and the Cabernet Franc vines are relatively young, with an average age of 20 years.

Jacky Blot has chosen to reduce his yield to 35 hectoliters per hectare in order to increase grape concentration and thus wine quality. The grapes are totally destemmed to avoid any vegetal notes.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : This cuvée, Le Haut de la Butte, is one of the most accessible when young, along with Le Pied de la Butte. These two wines can be enjoyed relatively young. As a result, there's no need to extract too much substance from this cuvée, which is already bursting with sunshine thanks to its southern exposure. Barrel ageing for 2 to 3 wines is all that's needed to fully exploit this fine terroir. A wine that's accessible in its youth, though youth doesn't mean too young: wait at least two to three years before drinking.

On the nose, notes of violets, spices and a hint of coffee quickly make their appearance. After decanting, the wine opens up with more "candied" notes. Notes of blackcurrant, wild plum and a hint of cranberry jam are easy to find.

The mouthfeel is suave, full of greediness, with a hint of animality before decanting, which I find very interesting, especially when paired with game dishes. We rediscover the notes of ripe black fruit, while retaining a lovely acidity.