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Domaine de l’Enchantoir
L’îlot des Biches 2020
Original price was: $34.95.$25.95Current price is: $25.95.
Domaine de l'Enchantoir
L’îlot des Biches
- Country: France
- Region: Loire
- Appellation: Saumur AOC
- Varietal: Cabernet Franc
- Alc/vol: 14.0%
- Sweetness: 2g/L Dry
- Cellaring Potential: Drink now or hold until 2026
Deep ruby in colour with purple reflections, this wine has a complex bouquet of aromas ranging from blackberries, violets, and green bell pepper, to cinnamon and sweet baking spices. Beautiful notes of dark cherries and blackberries on the palate with supple, yet fresh tannins and a brush of flinty minerality on the finish.
Pair this wine with charcuterie, grilled red meats, roasted pork or soft goat cheese.
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L’Îlot des Biches, translating to “island of deer”, is 100% Cabernet Franc grown on red soils filled with flint and iron from the Jurassic period. Even though deer can sometimes be seen as pests that nibble on the grapes, this 20 year old vineyard is seen as a refuge for the animal, hence the name l’ilot des Biches. Stamped with Saumur-Puy-Notre-Dame AOC for it’s specific terroir, this cabernet franc is full of unique personality.
After manual harvesting, grapes are partially destemmed then undergo partial carbonic maceration (helping to keep this wine a fruit bomb and soften it’s tannins). The wine spends 18 months in concrete vats allowing for a slower exchange of oxygen with the outside air, thus softening tannins and creating a more balanced red.
Read More About
Tuffeau and Trogdolytes!
Found in the “Middle” of the extensive Loire Valley region in northern France, is the Saumur appellation. Saumur AOC is where the maritime weather becomes a little more tempered and the land becomes slightly more flat, creating one of the warmest areas in the entire valley to ripen grapes. The region is best known for growing Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc but Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and other indigenous grape varieties are also permitted.
What makes this appellation so unique is the Tuffeau soil that can only be found in the Saumur region. This soft, fine-grained, limestone-rich stone was once quarried for local and international reasons (one of them being to rebuild after the Great Fire of London in 1666!), which left ready-made wine cellars across the region. Not only do these caves provide optimal storage conditions for acidic wines to mature gently, but also for the conservation of mushrooms – another important crop to Saumur.
When visiting Saumur, one will frequently hear the term ‘trogdolytes’, referring to the cave dwellings chiselled out of the tuffeau cliffs many years ago. Trogdolytes were historically used as places of residence, but now it’s more common to see the space utilized by wineries as their cellar or for unique vacation rentals.
The enchantment of Domaine de l’Enchantoir
The town of Le Puy Notre-Dame is nestled deep into the Saumur appellation of the Loire Valley in northern France. This is where the historic property of Domaine de l’Enchantoir can be found, and where lands have been devoted to grape growing since as far back as the 1500s. Over the centuries, the property has seen generations of winemakers thrive with the unique Tuffeau terroir but since 2016 this estate has been under the ownership of husband and wife, Fabienne and Jean-Michel Brunet. Their daughter Amandine has recently graduated from viticulture and oenology studies and is now joining the forces to produce quality wines from their limestone-rich soils. They practice organic viticulture across their 17 owned hectares and ensure that all of their wines are aged on the estate.
A special detail about the Domaine’s property, is that you can access the network of caves and underground tunnels that wind through the entire Puy-Notre-Dame territory right from their front courtyard. A connection to the homes, cellars and tunnels carved out of limestone cliffs certainly sounds like an enchanted fairytale!
| Colour | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Loire |
| Winemaking | Organic, Vegan |
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