Domaine du Bel Air, 2018 Bourgueil ‘Clos Nouveau’
In 1979, at the tender age of 14, Pierre Gauthier, 4th generation of Domaine du Bel Air, began working alongside his father André tending the family's grape vines in the commune of Benais in Bourgueil. Over the last 40 years, Pierre has quietly and humbly built the domaine into what is now one of the most respected and celebrated estates in the appellation. Since 2005, Pierre's son Rodolphe has joined the estate and together they are working with about 18 hectares of Cabernet Franc vines planted in Benais. The estate received organic certification in 2000.
Pierre and Rodolphe make 5 Cabernet Francs, two of which are blends across multiple parcels, Jour du Soif and Les Vingts Lieux-Dits; and 3 cuvée parcellaires, which includes Les Marsaules, as well as Grand-Mont and Clos Nouveau, two lieux-dits that are widely regarded as some of the top vineyards in Benais, if not, the entire Bourgueil appellation.
Before I get into the details of Clos Nouveau, let me provide a brief overview of the Benais commune. Located on the east side of the Changeon River and about 5km north of the Loire, Benais is unique in the appellation as it is the only commune that is exclusively on the côte, so the vineyards are all Turonian tuffeau bedrock. The viticultural area in the commune is about 2.5km from north to south and a little over 3km wide from east to west.
Two geographical features define the exposures of the slopes in the commune: The Changeon River to the west and the Benais forest to the north. In the western part of the commune, the slopes have a southwest exposure, facing the Changeon River. And as you move east the slopes follow an arch shape with slopes in the centre of the commune with a full southern exposure, and the slopes in the east with a slightly more south-southeast exposure.
And in terms of the tuffeau chalk bedrock, the type of bedrock will vary depending on altitude. From 30 to around 50m or so, you will have the influence of the lower Turonian tuffeau, from around 50 to 70m the middle turonian tuffeau, and then over 70m, at the northern edge of the commune, we have vineyards on the upper turonian tuffeau. The topsoils across Benais vary widely, but in general we find a higher proportion of clay in the vineyards here versus the lower lying areas closer to the Loire.
Because of the commune's position set back from the Loire River, as well as being dominated by the clay-limestone soils, the vineyards in Benais have a very long, gradual growing season, which allows for full phenolic maturity of the skins and seeds, making the wines from Benais some of the most tannic and structured in the Bourgueil appellation.
Located in the heart of the Benais village about 6km north of the Loire, Clos Nouveau is widely regarded as being one of the most historic and prized vineyards in the Bourgueil appellation. The history of viticulture at Clos Nouveau can be traced back to the 13th century, when it was part of the vineyards belonging to the Château de Benais. The clos was built around 1600 by the du Bellay family, descendants of poet Joachim du Bellay, and is entirely enclosed by limestone walls that are 3m, that's nearly 10 feet, tall.
The entire clos is around 1.3ha, with 1.15ha planted to vine. In keeping with the tradition of the vineyard and to enhance biodiversity of the site, 15are planted with a variety of fruit trees that are espellier trained up the walls around the perimeter of the clos. The vineyard sits on a plateau with a full, south-facing exposure at about 60m above sea level.
The bedrock is the Middle Turonian white tuffeau chalk. The topsoil is shallow, with only 30cm of a siliceous, sandy-clay before hitting the tuffeau. The unique position of this clos set back from the moderating influences of the Loire, as well as being entirely surrounded by walls, affords the Cabernet Franc vines a long, warm growing season.
Pierre shared with me that when he was a boy, he walked by the clos and its 3m tall walls everyday on his way to school. When he began his journey as a vigneron, all of the older vignerons told him that the greatest Cabernet Franc wine came from the vines enclosed by those walls. Pierre dreamed that one day he would be the caretaker of this special vineyard.
In 2005, his dream became a reality when Domaine du Bel Air was able to purchase Clos Nouveau making them sole owners of the vineyard, and only the third owner since 1798. Following their purchase, Pierre and his son u date to the early 1900s. The average age of the vines is around 40 years. As part of this restoration, they installed century-old, large, schist stakes at the end of each row - a nod to the past and the significance of the 'Angevin' wine culture of the region.
From a winemaking perspective, the yield from this vineyard is pretty consistent at about 35hl/ha, and all the fruit is hand-harvested, hand-sorted and destemmed. The whole berries undergo a cold soak in advance of alcoholic fermentation, which takes place in stainless steel with indigenous yeast, with the fermentation temperature not exceeding 30C. The total time on skins is 20 days, with some light pumping over during the first 15 days, followed by pigéage once daily during the last 5. The finished cuvée is 95% free run wine, 5% press wine. Elevage is for 24 months in 500L oak barrels, 70% of which is new, which is followed by 6 months in stainless steel prior to bottling.
Key wine wine facts below:
Producer: Domaine du Bel Air (Pierre Gauthier)
Appellation: Bourgueil
Commune: Benais
Lieux-Dits: Clos Nouveau
Soils: 20-30cm siliceous sandy-clay over the Middle Turonian white tuffeau chalk
Alcohol: 13.5%
