2020 Domaine de Bel Air, Bourgueil, Clos Nouveau

Domaine de Bel Air farms the historic Clos Nouveau in Benais with certified organic rigor, maintaining low yields and deep canopy management to ensure full phenolic maturity for this varietal Cabernet Franc. The site itself is defined by a shallow layer of siliceous sandy-clay topsoil directly overlying Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk, a limestone bedrock that imparts structural tension and mineral depth. Surrounded by three-meter-high walls, the clos experiences a protected, slightly warmer microclimate that consistently facilitates the concentration of its fruit and the refinement of its tannins. The 2020 vintage’s steady growing conditions allowed for an exemplary balance of ripeness and acid retention, resulting in a wine of significant density and fine-grained, architectural structure. This cuvée is vinified through lengthy maceration and matured for two years in 500-liter oak barrels, yielding a finished profile defined by serious verticality and exceptional aging potential.