Vins Cognard: Vineyards
As indicated in my introduction to this profile the domaine is located in the hamlet of Chevrette, which is situated quite high up on the terrace of the Bourgueil and St Nicolas de Bourgueil appellations, close to where the limestone slopes rise above the gravel lowlands. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in view of the domaine’s origins and history, the cellars are situated right next-door to the domaine of Joël Taluau & Thierry Foltzenlogel.
Today Estelle tends 15 hectares on these slopes and terraces, with two-thirds of the vines in the St Nicolas de Bourgueil appellation, and one-third in the neighbouring Bourgueil appellation. A large percentage is on desirable limestone and clay soils, with some vines lower down the slope on the gravel terraces and more alluvial soils. The vineyards are devoted in their entirety to Cabernet Franc, planted at a density of 4,500 vines per hectare, and pruned according to the Guyot simple method. A number of vignerons in the region have planted small areas to Chenin Blanc in recent years, in order to produce a Vin de France cuvée in white to complement their otherwise exclusively red and rosé portfolio, and I suspect in the future (probably the very distant future) we will see local appellation regulations broadened to permit white wines as well as red. Estelle has not, for the moment at least, chosen this path.
