Domaine Le Briseau takes its name from a lieu-dit where the soils grow so hard they shatter, or brise, the tools used to work them. That stubborn ground has produced some of the Loire's most influential natural wines.
Backstory
The estate was founded in 2002 in the Jasnieres and Coteaux-du-Loir area of northern Touraine by Christian Chaussard, a former engineer turned vigneron, and Nathalie Gaubicher, a Swiss actress who holds oenology and sommelier diplomas. They started with four hectares planted mainly to Chenin Blanc and Pineau d'Aunis.
In September 2012 Christian was killed in a tractor accident. As a five-time president of the natural wine association AVN, his influence on the Loire and the wider movement was profound, and he helped shape a new generation of forward-thinking growers. Nathalie, now remarried to vigneron Emile Heredia, continues the domaine while splitting her time between the Loire and the Languedoc.
The Region
The vineyards lie in the cool northern Touraine, where Chenin Blanc and the local red Pineau d'Aunis thrive. Soils are clay and silica over a limestone subsoil, with parcels of limestone, flint and heavy clay.
Vineyards and Farming
All work follows organic principles, with no pesticides, insecticides or chemical fertilizers, and the estate began converting to biodynamics in 2006. The vines are plowed, cover-cropped between rows, and treated with only modest copper.
Winemaking
Nothing is added and little is removed. There is no chaptalization, no selected yeast, no enzymes, no de-acidification, no fining and no added sulfur. A single racking removes the gross lees before the wines age for several months.
The Wines
The result is a vivid, characterful range of Chenin and Pineau d'Aunis, including cuvees such as Patapon, that capture both the chalky terroir and the free-spirited philosophy behind them.
