Sébastien David: Vineyards
When Sébastien David took control of the family domaine the area committed to vines was fairly small, at just 5 hectares, mostly on the gravelly soils of the Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil slope. In the early years, two significant changes came about. First, Sébastien converted the domaine to organics in 1999, and the introduction of biodynamic viticulture soon followed; indeed, the vineyards remain biodynamic today. Secondly, there was some expansion, and when I last met Sébastien the area of vines under his control had trebled, and is now 15 hectares.
The vines are 100% Cabernet Franc. Although Sébastien is quick to point out that Cabernet Sauvignon is permitted in the Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil appellation, he is also quick to point out that this variety was only added to the cahier des charges in the 1950s, and the planting of his vineyards predated this decision. Sébastien loses no sleep over this; although he feels Cabernet Sauvignon works in a hot vintage, in any other year it has, in his opinion, a less appealing character. Some of his vines date from 1927, although the average age overall is just over fifty years.
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