Domaine Grosbois, 2015 Chinon "Gabare"
Cab Franc du Jour #29
The family domaine dates back to 1820. Nicolas Grosbois returned to the family estate in 2008 and now runs the vineyards and cellar alongside his brother Sylvain. The estate has 9 hectares of vineyards, all within the lieu-dit of Le Pressoir in the commune of Panzoult, the next commune east of Cravant-les-Côteaux along the north side of the Vienne River. Those 9 hectares are divided into 13 separate parcels.
Le Pressoir sits further back from the Loire River and features the Turonian limestone bedrock beneath a sandy-clay topsoil that varies considerably in depth depending on where you are on the slope, ranging from as little as 30cm at the top to as much as 3.5m at the foot. It is this variation in topsoil depth that really defines how Nicolas allocates his parcels across the different cuvées.
Today’s wine is sourced from 6.5 hectares of vines in the middle portion of the slope, where the vines average around 40 years of age. Yields are on the lower side, the fruit is hand-harvested, and the wine is vinified in concrete before aging in concrete for a further 24 months before bottling.
Wine Details
Producer: Domaine Grosbois
Appellation: Chinon
Commune: Panzoult
Lieu-Dit: Le Pressoir
Soils: Tuffeau chalk subsoil, sand-silt topsoil
Alcohol: 13.5%