Catherine & Pierre Breton, 2012 Update
Catherine and Pierre Breton – it is mainly Pierre who tends to the wines in the cellars, but Catherine does her share as well, with the production of a handful of wines under the Dilettante (which translates as the dabbler) label – have long had a devoted following. This appreciation of their wines predates the birth of the ‘natural’ wine movement. This seems somehow ironic, as their adherence to organic and more recently biodynamic philosophies, accompanied by the restricted use of sulphur in the cellars, with most wines seeing the addition of only a very small amount or indeed none at all, would seem to typify what the ‘natural’ wine movement is all about. Small wonder that they have maintained a very devoted following over the years.
Despite being aware of the regard with which Catherine and Pierre (pictured above) are held, I haven’t managed to revisit them and their wines for some time. This is a shame as the vintages have moved on, and they have added a number of interesting facets to their portfolio, not least the wines from Vouvray which now complement the more long-standing range of wines from Bourgueil for which they are best known. Happily I was able to meet up with Pierre Breton a few months ago to taste through the latest vintages. We focused on 2011, although we did touch, albeit briefly, on 2010 and 2009 as well.
Please log in to continue reading: