Benoit Courault Empreinte

“I was a bit tired of pouring wine, so I decided to make some.” With this, Benoit Courault sums up why he moved from the restaurant business to the making business. To make the move, he enrolled at the Beaune Wine School and, after an internship in conventional viticulture in the Chambolle-Musigny area, he discovered the natural way of working used by Eric Pfifferling of Domaine de l'Anglore. A philosophy of minimal intervention that captivated him and which he then implemented on his 7 hectares of vineyards in Faye d'Anjou, in the Loire. As a result, he creates delicious wines with a clean and free spirit, both in bottlings from old vines and single vineyards and in cuvées from young vines.

His Benoit Courault Empreinte is a single-variety organic Chenin Blanc grown without phytosanitary products, except for copper and sulphur (permitted in organic agriculture). With the help of two horses, he works old vines planted on clay-limestone soils at 100 metres above sea level. Once the grapes reach optimum ripeness, they are taken to the winery for direct pressing. Fermentation is carried out with native yeasts in used 225 and 600 litre barrels over 6 months. Finally, it is bottled without clarifying, filtering or adding SO2.

Like a footprint (empreinte in French), Benoit Courault Empreinte is a cuvée that faithfully reflects the land it comes from. A high-level wine that grows in personality, purity and precision every year. There must be a reason why this former sommelier, who is always learning, is becoming a leading artisan-grower in the region.