Frédéric Mabileau: Vineyards
Today the Mabileau family tend 28 hectares of vineyards, the majority of which are concentrated in St Nicolas de Bourgueil. As I have already indicated in my introduction the vineyards are managed with consideration for the soil, environmental sustainability, and the quality of the fruit that results. The work was organic from 2007, and this was certified as such by Ecocert in 2010, with subsequent biodynamic certification by Biodyvin coming in 2018. With regard to other work in the vines, the vines (predominantly Cabernet Franc, obviously) are largely Guyot trained, see leaf-thinning as required, and are interplanted with grass to provide competition for water.
St Nicolas de Bourgueil and Bourgueil only allow for rosé and red wines, and of course – as I have hinted above – these both feature Cabernet Franc. Frédéric has thus looked beyond the borders of these appellations in order to add variety to his portfolio. He has parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in Anjou, and some Chenin Blanc in both Anjou and Saumur, not to mention a parcel of Pineau d’Aunis.
I would normally explore the various parcels of vines in more detail, but I have elected to do this below, dealing with the parcels as they relate to the various cuvées.
