Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal Catherine et Pierre Breton 2012

For almost thirty years, Catherine and Pierre Breton's achievements have been setting a great example in Bourgueil. In 1982, Pierre Breton took over the family's vines, until then the harvested grapes had been sold to the local wine cooperative. Originally covering ten hectares, there are now fifteen. The soil is worked, and if any compost has to be used, Breton limits the use of sulphur as far as possible to produce wines which are as pure as possible. The domaine has been farmed organically using biodynamic methods since 1992. Grown using massal selection, the vines are hand-picked with small crates so as to avoid any damage to the grapes; the soil is worked and compost is used. Winemaking is carried out without any exogenous yeast, and the wines are not filtered. Sulphites are hardly used and for certain wines are not used at all. Slow ageing in wood barrels makes it possible to control the tannins effectively.