Domaine du Bel Air
Pierre and Catherine Gauthier farm 15 hectares (37.5 acres) in the Bourgueil area of the central Loire region. A mutual friend, Didier Dagueneau , recommended him to us because for him, no other grower brings out the essence of Bourgueil like the Gauthiers. They, with there son, do most of the vineyard work, and when shaking Pierre’s hand, you know that there can be no mistake about it. His are the hands of a man very close to the earth. In fact his immaculate cellars, containing mostly double barrels, are carved directly out of one of his vineyards in Benais. This is a true master of the Cabernet Franc varietal.
There is nothing fancy here. Crops are kept under 40 hl/hectare, and green harvesting is actively pursued in the summertime. Some stems are used in the vinification when they are deemed ripe enough, and the cuvaisons are long, normally three weeks. | 