Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
This Cabernet Franc Loire Valley appellation, within the larger Bourgueil AOP, closely follows the contours of the village of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. The vineyard is within the confines of Touraine and Anjou, on the western edge of Bourgueil, on the upper terrace of the right bank of the Loire. The area consists mostly of a wide terrace of old silt deposits, with deep soil made of sand and gravel. Above the terraces, a third of the vineyard stretches across a Turonian chalk limestone hillside covered with sand. The vineyard is largely exposed to the Loire, which, in this area, becomes extremely wide where it meets the Vienne. This allows oceanic influences to be clearly felt. Slopes are covered in woodlands that protect from the north wind.
Latitude
47.2849
Longitude
0.1254
Frédéric Mabileau
Nathalie, Charly & Rémy Mabileau
Winemakers
About
Frédéric Mabileau is an organic-certified, biodynamic estate based in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil in the Loire, where the family’s winegrowing history dates back to 1620. Inspired by his father Jean-Paul Mabileau, Frédéric kicked off his own project in 1988 when he planted his vines on a parcel owned by wife Nathalie called Rouillères - a name now given to the estate’s entry level Anjou Chenin Blanc and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Cabernet Franc. When Jean-Paul retired in 2003, Frédéric and Nathalie combined two domaines into one. Frédéric immediately took stock of the vineyard holdings, embarking on a painstaking study of the terroirs before establishing his own range of wines. Today they own 28 hectares across the Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Bourgueil, Saumur and Anjou appellations. When Frédéric's life was cut tragically short by a light-aircraft accident on the eve of the 2020 vintage, sons Charly and Rémy stepped unflinchingly to fill his shoes alongside Nathalie.