The wines of Catherine and Pierre Breton, Loire, France

The wines of Catherine and Pierre Breton
Brilliant naturally made Loire wines, specializing in Bourgeuil

Domaine Catherine et Pierre Breton, 8 Rue du Peu Muleau, Les Galichets 37140 Restigne, France
Tel: +33 (0)2 47 97 30
Website: www.domainebreton.net

Catherine and Pierre Breton (he's pictured) have been running their 15 hectare vineyard along organic lines since 1991; they’ve been biodynamic since 1997. Located between Tours and Samur in the Loire Valley, they specialize in red wines from the Chinon and Bourgueil appellations. They use indigenous yeasts for their fermentations, and only the minimum use of sulfur dioxide (typically 10 mg/litre of SO₂ added at bottling). All wines are unfiltered, and the goal is to make wines that express their terroirs and vintage. The wines are available in the UK from Les Caves de Pyrene.

For those who'd like to know a bit more, can I point you towards a really good report on this domaine at the excellent wineterroirs.com blog.

THE WINES

Catherine and Pierre Breton Vouvray La Dilettante NV Loire, France
A lovely sparkling wine. Nuts, apples, herbs: very pure, fresh and precise with good acidity. 91/100 (05/11)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Petillant Naturel Rosé Ritournelle 2010 Loire, France
Pale in colour. Fascinating flavours of cherries and strawberries. Soft and rounded with some pear fruit and also some savoury characters. Distinctive and beguiling. 90/100 (05/11)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Vouvray La Dilettante 2010 Loire, France
Appley, nutty and precise with lovely freshness. Dry and distinctive; full of character. 92/100 (05/11)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgeuil ‘Trinch!’ 2010 Loire, France
A joyful, drinkable wine. Pure, with focused aromatic cherry fruit. Bright with some sappiness and some nice gravelly grip. 92/100 (05/11)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgeuil ‘La Dilettante’ 2010 Loire, France
Open, lively and aromatic with fresh cherry fruit. Light and expressive with a nice savoury twist. Beautifully drinkable. 92/100 (05/11)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Chinon Beaumont 2010 Loire, France
From 40 year old vines. Fresh and vivid with raspberry and cherry, as well as some spice and mineral. So lively and pure with grippy structure. 93/100 (05/11)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgeuil ‘Perrières’ 2008 Loire, France
Structured and fresh. Pure, grippy raspberry and blackcurrant fruit. Nice grip. 93/100 (05/11)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgeuil ‘Perrières’ 1995 Loire, France
Lovely aromatics here. Fresh with some sappy, earthy complexity. Still fresh with lovely complexity. Mature and expressive. 94/100 (05/11)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgeuil ‘Trinch!’ 2007 Loire, France
Beautifully perfumed bright fruit on the nose, with cherries and berries. Very fresh and pure. The palate is elegantly fruity with a nice grippy edge. A beautiful bright wine. 90/100 (05/08)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgeuil ‘Clos Sénéchal’ 2006 Loire, France
Vibrant red with a purple fringe. Bright cherryish fruit here on the nose with some spicy notes. The palate is bright and vibrant with beautiful berry fruit and some grippy tannic structure. Pure, structured and intense. 91/100 (05/08)

Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgeuil ‘Les Perrières’ 2005 Loire, France
Earthy, spicy cherry and berry fruit nose. Perfumed, fresh and quite complex. The palate has a nice earthy depth to it. Quite savoury and structured with a firm finish. Serious effort. 91/100 (05/08)

Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgeuil 'Trinch!' 2005
It’s dense, rich and sweetly fruited but also quite serious with a lovely precision to the rich fruit. Quite tannic: a lovely wine. Very good/excellent 91/100 (05/06)

Catherine et Pierre Breton Chinon Beaumont 2004
Quite fine, firm spicy nose with a fresh minerality to it. Some earthiness. The palate is savoury with vivid fruit and good minerality and acidity. Delicious stuff. Very good/excellent 92/100 (05/06)

Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgeuil Perrières 2005
Lovely spicy nose is vivid and fresh with bright red fruits. The palate is really nice, with good fruit and nice savoury structure. Good acidity and a spicy, almost drying finish round off this delicious wine. Very good/excellent 91/100 (05/06)