Bourgueil AOC is a red (and rosé) wine made mainly from Cabernet Franc (‘Breton’) plus Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the north bank of the Loire river opposite Chinon, between Tours and Angers in the west of the Touraine region and near its border with Anjou in the Loire Valley of France.

Terroir: The most age-worthy wines wines come from hill sites of yellow-coloured tuffeau (‘tuffeau jaune des coteaux’) whilst fruitier softer-texted examples come from gravelly-sand (‘soils graveleux à sable’) (Guide Hachette des Vins 2004, p.933).

Wine style: ‘Spicy, plump raspberry’ flavours (Oz Clarke: 2015, p.54). ‘For drinking young and cool or maturing like Bordeaux,’ Hugh Johnson suggests (Wine Companion:1991, p.159).

Vineyard area & wine production: 2002 69,503hl of red (mainly) including a little rosé from 1,368ha (Guide Hachette des Vins 2004, p.933).

Wineries

Certified Biodynamic: Bertrand Galbrun.

Certified organic: Jacky Blot. | Fabien & Cyril Boisard. | Pierre & Catherine Breton. | Stéphane Breton. | Delaunay Père et Fils. | Duveau Coulon. | Philippe Galbrun. | Pierre et Rudolph Golfier. | Sylvie et Vincent Gregoire. | Frédéric Mabilleau. | Jean-Francois Mabileau. | Patricia Menard. | Michel Thibaut. Thouet-Rousseau.

No certification: Pierre-Jacques Druet.