DELETTRE Les Chardons Rouge 2021 Vin de France (St Nicolas de Bourgueil) 75cl Red

Grape variety: Cabernet Franc

Terroir: Clay-limestone and sandy soils.

Cultivation: Organic farming, using organic fertilisers. Ploughing beneath the vines with light natural grass cover between the rows.

Winemaking: Hand-harvested in 20 kg crates to ensure the bunches arrive at the winery intact. Gentle vinification, with grapes picked at optimal ripeness without overripening, preserving freshness and lightness. Fermentation in tanks.

Ageing: 6 months in tanks. Unfiltered at bottling, with no added sulphites.

Tasting notes: Floral and spicy aromas on the nose. The palate is beautifully refined yet perfectly ripe, with fine, rounded tannins and a lovely delicate, tangy finish. A wonderful match for red meat served with a tangy sauce!

🍷 Serving temperature: 16-17°C

It all began in 2016 when Stéphane Delettre, originally from Normandy, settled in Restigné, in the heart of the Bourgueil appellation, and began working his first vineyards on sandy and gravelly soils. Hillside vineyards on clay-limestone soils soon followed, expanding the estate's collection of plots. These old vines, propagated through massal selection, produce elegant, profound wines with excellent ageing potential.

Today, the estate covers 7 hectares, devoted entirely to one grape variety, the one and only Cabernet Franc. It has been organically farmed from the very beginning. A few plots were converted to organic farming, but the majority were already cultivated organically when Stéphane took over.

The soils are worked mechanically, natural grass cover is encouraged, and much of the vineyard work is carried out by hand. Biodynamic practices are also incorporated throughout the seasons, although the estate is not certified. Above all, this is a thoughtful approach to viticulture, rooted in generations of traditional farming wisdom.