Wine
Chateau de Miniere Bulles de Miniere Rouge, PetNat
Viti/ViniCertified organic. Planting at 5,000 vines per hectare, single cane pruning, severe shoot thinning, manual leaf stripping and green harvest when necessary keeps yields low. Harvest is by hand. Carbonic maceration for a few weeks, de-stemmed, gently pressed and settled. Fermentation in stainless steel at about 16 degrees Celsius. Cooled to arrest the fermentation and bottled with crown caps allowing bubbles to form naturally as per the ancestrale method. 9–12 months on lees. No additions.
Producer
The 29 ha organically farmed state was originally established in the 15th century as a fortified farm, then as a mansion and a century later as a chateau. The French author Charles Perrault was inspired by the castle and had it in mind while writing Sleeping Beauty. There is a feminine tradition at the Chateau, which continues today through Kathleen Van den Berghe’s ownership and management. Kathleen and her family have a passion for history and wine, as well as a commitment to organic practices and low intervention in the cellar, which embody their natural lifestyle. Their mission is to produce exclusively Cabernet Franc that genuinely reflects the diversity of their site.
Winemaker: Kathleen Van den Berghe
Country: France
Region: Bourgueil
Type: Red, Sparkling
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Farming: Organic, Sustainable
Age of Vines: Planted around 1960s–70s
Production: 12,000 bottles
Soil: Very old limestone bedrock (of the upper Turonian 93–89 million years ago) covered with a layer of Aeolian sand rich in quartz and mica, mixed with silt and clay