Since 2020, Beatriz Papamija and Etienne Le Blanc have been custodians of 4 hectares of Cabernet Franc in Chinon. Alongside the river Vienne, old vines grow on sandy gravel over clay and limestone.
With a commitment to biodynamic principles, they minimise intervention in the vines, employing fermented plant treatments and welcoming sheep into the vineyards. Principled and passionate, they work delicately and with no additions in the cellar to capture many expressions of their single variety.
We have the following new wines available now:
Available Now
RED
NEW 2021 - Les Grappes - Cab Franc
Béa likes to call Les Grappes 'the thermometer of the vintage' deciding in 2021 - and continuing since - to follow the same process each year so the vintage variation shines through. Lots of rain in 21, the wine is nervy and energetic, heady with crushed violets, lovely tension.
NEW 20/21 - Transcendance - Cab Franc
A wine dedicated to - and labeled by - Béa's brother, a trans man who works to support the transgender community. In Béa's words: "We're all made from the same flesh, and I wanted to illustrate this by making a wine bringing together two different methods: at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if it's de-stemmed and in wood or whole bunch in steel: it's all wine!" A portion of the proceeds from the wine will go to a charity supporting the transgender community. 2020 fruit is from old vines macerated for one month, aged 18 months in barrel, 2021 fruit is younger vines, a two-week whole bunch maceration and aged in tank 6 months before the two were assembled.
2020 - Le Clos - Cab Franc
From their first vintage and their oldest vines- up to 90 years old - Le Clos is a deep & vibrant expression of Cab Franc, dark fruited with a saline, mineral core. Picked and de-stemmed by hand, macerated for 40 days with zero extraction in stainless steel, with a little juice poured over to keep the cap wet. Basket pressed incredibly gently over 24 hours to old barrels, aged for a year before bottling.