Frederic Mabileau 'Les Racines' Bourgueil 2019

30 years-old Remy Mabileau, following the accidental death of his dad Frédéric in 2020, is now in charge of the estate. His vision is anchored into the natural wine approach following the footstep of his father with whom he worked for the past 4 years. As a friend of the family (I worked 6 years at the estate from 2003-2009) I was there to witness this painful transition and this young man impressed me with his maturity and the result of his first vintage 2020 in this context is brilliant. His dad would be proud...
Bourgueil & Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil used to be both under the same entity until 1937 when the two villages split to become two separates appellations. Easy to understand when tasting them side-by-side, when Saint Nicolas’ wines are perfumy and fruit driven, Bourgueil wines are denser and deliver a deeper expression of the varietal. It’s their Terroir that makes them so distinct; Saint Nicolas is based on a single terrace of alluvium from the former Loire river bed when Bourgueil is composed of 7 different villages located mostly on a clay and “tuffeau” limestone hillside with a gentle declivity.