Domaine Sylvain Boton I Les Haies 2023 I Cabernet Franc I Loire Wines
Domaine Sylvain Boton I Les Haies 2023 I Cabernet Franc I Loire Wines

Domaine Sylvain Boton, Les Haies, 2023

£42.00

What an introduction for a first vintage from a single vineyard, this is a remarkably assured and moving wine, a statement of intent from one of Bourgueil's most exciting young vignerons.

Les Haies is Cabernet Franc from vines planted in 1928, just two years shy of a century, rooted in pure white Tuffeau.

The approach in the cellar is one of quiet confidence: fully destemmed fruit, a gentle 18-day infusion, and 18 months in 500-litre old barrels.

The result is deeply compelling, beautiful, and moving expression of this unique vineyard. A wine of gorgeous deep purple colour, velvety texture, powdery tannins, and a concentration that feels earned rather than forced. There is real soul here, a tribute to the great Cabernet Francs of the Loire that line the walls of Boton's troglodyte cellar and have clearly shaped his vision.

Only 500 bottles produced. A new icon from Bourgueil, and one to seek out with some urgency.

What an introduction for a first vintage from a single vineyard, this is a remarkably assured and moving wine, a statement of intent from one of Bourgueil's most exciting young vignerons.

Les Haies is Cabernet Franc from vines planted in 1928, just two years shy of a century, rooted in pure white Tuffeau.

The approach in the cellar is one of quiet confidence: fully destemmed fruit, a gentle 18-day infusion, and 18 months in 500-litre old barrels.

The result is deeply compelling, beautiful, and moving expression of this unique vineyard. A wine of gorgeous deep purple colour, velvety texture, powdery tannins, and a concentration that feels earned rather than forced. There is real soul here, a tribute to the great Cabernet Francs of the Loire that line the walls of Boton's troglodyte cellar and have clearly shaped his vision.

Only 500 bottles produced. A new icon from Bourgueil, and one to seek out with some urgency.

Sylvain Boton is a young vigneron from Tours and one of the most exciting new voices in the Loire Valley, who established his domaine in Bourgueil in 2022. The domaine spans 4 hectares farmed organically and biodynamically across a mosaic of plots, to best express the diversity of Bourgueil's terroirs. Two parcels stand out: Les Haies, an argilo-calcaire plot with 80-year-old vines, and Les Bretèches, another argilo-calcaire site with fragments of tuffeau on the surface. Working from a troglodyte cave, his range balances precision and personality — Racines for terroir-driven complexity, Printemps for pure drinking pleasure and single vineyard Les haies and soon to be released Les Breteches, two futures Loire classics. Domaine Sylvain Boton is a domaine to follow closely, right from its very first vintages..

Grape variety : Cabernet Franc Terroir : Clay-Limestone (White Tuffeau) Plots : Les Haies Average age of the vines : 98 years Orientation : South Vinification: Hand harvested and destemmed. 18 day maceration. Extraction by pump over. Tank fermentation one month before bottling. Unfiltered. Ageing: 18 months in demi-muids that haveheld more than 10 wines Alcohol: 12.5%