Clos du Tue Boeuf Vin Rouge 2021

Country: France

Region: Loire

Type: Red Wine

Grape: Gamay

Brothers Jean-Marie and Thierry Puzelat tend their 10-hectare family estate in the Cheverny AOC and rent 6 hectares in a village nearby to produce AOC Touraine. The region  has always used a wide variety of grapes. Since the 60’s, the Puzelats' father had been making his own selections of vines to replant, leaving his sons with vines of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Menu Pineau (or Arbois), Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Côt (Malbec).In the 90's, the brothers began converting their vines to organic viticulture. When the Cheverny AOC was created with the 1993 vintage, some varietals became outlawed from the blends, and the brothers began the yearly struggle to get their wines accepted under the new appellation. Now, when one of their wines is rejected, they sell it under a Vin de Pays or Vin de France label.

Clos du Tue Boeuf's  Vin Rouge is made with sourced, organically farmed fruit from friends in the Cher Valley (the Puzelats' home turf in the Touraine) as well as in Beaujolais in this vintage. The bunches are kept whole and fermented spontaneously and carbonically with a short maceration. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks and bottled with very minimal sulfur.

This is a fresh, easygoing style of Gamay, with aromas of raspberry and cherry. The palate is round and ripe with lush fruit balanced by bright acidity and an earthy/mineral character.