Domaine du Bel Air
I confess that I am guilty, whenever my mind turns to Cabernet Franc in the Loire Valley, of too often looking first to Chinon. At first glance Chinon has the more noble vinous pedigree, the vineyards swirled around the ancient royal fortress and the Medieval convent of Saint-Louans, the wines enjoyed throughout history, by everybody from Henry II to François Rabelais. And Chinon has some of the Loire Valley’s best known vineyards, from the Clos de l’Echo and Clos du Chêne Vert to the less immediately familiar but no less valued Clos des Capucins and Clos de la Hospice, all of which bear witness to this appellation’s viticultural heritage.
It is my pleasant duty, though, to look elsewhere in the Loire Valley, to uncover otherwise overlooked gems, like those we find in Benais. Superficially Benais seems like a typically sleepy Ligérian village, undistinguished save for its role as one of the eight communes eligible for the Bourgueil appellation. Peer beyond the walls that line the narrow streets though, and you will see there is more to this little village than at first meets the eye. The Château de Benais, hidden behind an imposing gate flanked by two solid towers, is a case in point.
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