Happiness is in the vineyard

À l’ouest de la Touraine, le vignoble de Chinon s’enracine dans un sol de craie appelé tuffeau qui apporte une finesse poivrée et beaucoup de vivacité aux vins rouges à base de cabernet Franc. À la faveur du réchauffement climatique, on redécouvre aujourd’hui ce cépage longtemps snobé, dont le génie est d’insuffler de la Fraîcheur, du croquant et de la droiture. Jusqu’à la fin des années 1990, le grand artiste de Chinon était Charles Joguet (toujours vivant)), qui fut le premier à planter en 1982 du cabernet « Franc de pied »», c’est-à-dire non greffé sur des pieds de vigne américains. On n’a jamais retrouvé après lui un tel éclat, une telle grâce et une telle profondeur ! Heureusement, les modes passent, et les vins concentrés et boisés ont fait leur temps. Aujourd’hui, les amateurs du monde entier se sont pris d’amour pour ce vignoble qu’il faut parcourir le matin au soleil levant, avec son Rabelais dans la poche…

Because Chinon, it is grace and delicacy, charm, mystery, the lady with unicorn and jeanne d'Arc gathered.This is perhaps the reason why in recent years so many women winegrowers have managed to impose their paws and style here.Far From the slightly macho standards of dominant oenology, there is in their wines a singular voice, a desire for delicacy, an absence of squabbing, a benevolent simplicity ... which do good to the gosier.

When we visit Fiona Beeston, we are first captivated by the beauty of the place: his domain was created in 1604 by Franciscan monks, on the side of the hillsides, right in Front of the fortress of Chinon, aboveVienne.Light is unique, we are at the heart of "Sweet France".It must be said that before becoming a Fiona winemaker was a journalist for "La Revue du Vin de France".A scathing feather.Its section was fucking the petoche to all polluters, traffickers and chapter.But all that this Englishwoman lover of our wines learned, she received it From a picturesque character From Paris From the 1970s and 1980s: the wine merchant Lucien Legrand..."A visionary, the first to have dared to sell small wines of cheap countries, whose labels he himself wrote in hand.It was at home at the Legrand cellars, that I sold the first wines of the Trévallon estate which were only worth 16 Francs the bottle at the time."In his years of learning, what has fascinated Fiona, it is the Loire Valley vineyard, which extends over 800 kilometers From its mouth to Sancerre (the third largest in France)).Its peace of mind, its light...

In Chinon, she meets a living legend, Charles Joguet, the last winemaker to make real "old -fashioned Chinon", with the grape skins and whole roundups that slowly infuse in the must while he ferments.Finished, journalism.In 2010, Fiona launched and became the owner of the Clos des Capucins, an exceptional terroir.From the start, she opts for biodynamics.The Lulu horse weed in the ranks.The badgers indicate to him when starting the harvest.In the cellar, it brings in the barrels of the domain of Romanée-Conti to raise its wines which develop a velvety texture there with blackcurrant notes and liquorice...Fulgurating success: in Paris, Alain Passard, George V and Belleville cellar are his best ambassadors, while in London we tear his chimchings in Soho wine bars.

Martine Budé: pure talent

About twenty kilometers From Chinon, the Domaine de la Niverdière brings us into an even more romantic universe...Because if we can speak of innate genius for wine, we must recognize that Martine Budé is a case of school, a woman not ordinary.In a first life, this girl of Flemish industrialists, born in Ghent, was interior designer and beer drinker: "I didn't know everything about wine!»»»»

However, it all started From nothing, in 2014, as much to say yesterday!As she walks around Chinon, here she is in love with this 15th century domain half in ruins.Did she hear voices?The fact remains that, against the advice of her first husband, she decides to settle there and make her own wine there."An enlightenment.»»In a flash, her life changes, and she finds herself alone in this house with her children."In 2015, I divorced and I made my first vintage at the same time!My gestures came naturally, as if I had always known how to make wine! "How has a woman who had never driven a tractor, nor held a pickaxe, nor rolled a barrel could learn in such a short time to cultivate 7 hectares

vineyards (in biodynamics in addition)) and to produce wines of such incomparable finesse and flavor?For wine merchant Bruno Quenioux, Caves Philovino, in Paris: "It's a feat!Martine relies on her instinct.I have rarely seen this in a neophyte.Blindly, her chilons are very close to those that Charles Joguet did, which she did not know.»»

Martine Budé, who has invested a fortune in her cellar, is already an exceptional winemaker and the symbol of the rebirth of this name.All his wines are unique: fluid, silky, of incredible delicacy, soothing and full of energy.

Clos la Niverdière, From 15 euros per bottle.Three cuvées: Renaissance, resilience and palimpsest.LANVERDIERE.com.

Clothilde Pain: Sensuality

So it is with Clothilde Pain in the village of Panzoult.In 2012, this winemaker's daughter made the choice to stand out From her father and take off by making closed wines (located on the prestigious terroirs of Cravant-les-Côteaux)) easy to drink, Frying and goutping,Small naughty names (alcove secrets, my little red dress, without above without below, take me...)).Clothilde and her sister Honorine obey their instinct and their emotion. Après chaque vendange, elles se laissent guider par « l’effet millésime »» et recherchent la suavité, la fluidité, le Fruit et la Fraîcheur, sans exclure pour autant la complexité.

From 7.50 to 17 euros per bottle.clo-chinon.com.

Read.Alpilles wines: the energy of the rock

Caroline Sourdais: audacity

Immediately after having resumed in 2014 the domain created in 1981 by her father Pierre Sourdais, she hastened to convert him to biodynamics.Caroline strives to express in her cuvées the typicity of each by that.Thus, at her house, we will be able to taste the crunchy a little scratch of plain wines, and chain on the powerful fellows and structured wines like the old stanislas vines at 26 euros.

Domaine-Pierre-Sourdais.com.

Sylvie Raffault: Depth

In Savigny-en-Véron, she is none other than the granddaughter of the great Olga Raffault: first woman winegrower of Chinon in the 1940s.Sylvie was able to perpetuate the work of her grandmother by maintaining a very feminine, suave, elegant, fine style of wine style with also a little roundness and sensuality, proof that the Cabernet Franc can also have thighs.The wines of this area have been improving over the years, striking and becoming more and more bright and delicate.Chilons that can cross the 40 -year -old bar without problem, which supposes a superb raw material.

The Vieilles Vignes Cuvée is offered at the unbeatable price of 15 euros.Olga-Raffault.com.

Angelique Léon: passion

She resumed her parents' domain in 2002.Angélique likes that the seasons print their rhythm to the work of the fields: size, plowing, disbursement, manual harvest, pressing, winemaking, bottling...Here, no chemical weedkiller!Its church is intense and Fresh, Frank, generous, greedy, with silky tannins.

Cuvée Clos de Danzay at 12 euros.Leonchinon.Fr.

"Winegrowers. 100 femmes qui font la différence dans les vignes de France »», de Sandrine Goeyvaerts (éd. Nouriturfu)), 18 euros.

"Winemaker. Quitter Paris, changer de vie, créer son vin »», de Laure Gasparotto, (éd. Grasset)), 18,50 euros.