Claire and Florent Bejon make quietly serious Loire wines from small organic parcels on either bank of the Vienne, just west of Chinon. The hand drawn on their labels stands for a simple idea: one grape, one terroir and the hands that touched it.
Backstory
The couple started as passionate amateurs, tending a small plot of Chenin Blanc acquired in 2010. They released their first vintage in 2015 while still holding other jobs, then gradually expanded into a full estate. Florent spent some 25 years as a bottler for the Brault house, handling wines for celebrated domaines such as Mosse, Benoit Courault and Richard Leroy, an apprenticeship of sorts in great natural wine.
The Region
They are based in Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne, between Saumur and Chinon in the Loire Valley, working within the Chinon appellation. The vines lie in scattered parcels on both banks of the Vienne.
Vineyards and Farming
The estate covers a little over five hectares, the majority planted to Cabernet Franc with around half a hectare of Chenin Blanc. The vines average about fifty years of age and grow on varied soils of clay, limestone and a good deal of silex. Farming is organic and ECOCERT certified, with close attention to soil and vine balance.
Winemaking
The cellar approach is uncompromising: hand-harvested fruit, fragmented vinification parcel by parcel, no additives, no fining and no filtration. Many cuvées are made with no added sulfur at all. The wines, including cuvées such as Picrochole and Saint-Germain, are prized for their free, pure expression of each site.
