Domaine de la Butte (Jacky Blot), 2018 Bourgueil "Le Pied de la Butte"
Cab Franc du Jour #28
Jacky Blot began his journey as a vigneron in the 1980s when he purchased Domaine de la Taille aux Loups in Montlouis-sur-Loire, quickly establishing himself as one of the Loire’s leading producers of Chenin Blanc. In 2002 he purchased Domaine de la Butte with a clear goal: to produce high-quality, terroir-focused Cabernet Franc. The estate is located in the commune of Bourgueil, in the lieu-dit of La Butte, meaning slope, set back about 8km from the Loire River.
The domaine is one contiguous plot of 14 hectares of organically farmed vines ranging from 35 to 60 years of age on an entirely south-facing slope. In this particular part of Bourgueil, the chalk bedrock runs at depths of between 60 and 110m, with different layers of chalk varying in age depending on when they were formed.
The Pied de la Butte, as the name suggests, refers to the foot of the slope. The soils here are the youngest on the domaine, at around 30 million years old, and carry more clay in the topsoil than the parcels higher up. That clay gives more energy to the vines, contributing to a slightly fruitier profile in the finished wine while still maintaining some structural backbone. The vines average around 35 years of age.
The wine is vinified in concrete with extraction through maceration only, without any pigéage, punchdowns, or pump-overs of any kind.
Wine Details
Producer: Domaine de la Butte (Jacky Blot)
Appellation: Bourgueil
Communes: Bourgueil
Lieu-Dit: La Butte
Soils: Turonian tuffeau chalk bedrock with clay topsoil
Alcohol: 13.5%