Sébastien David's family has tended vines in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil since 1634, and his grandfather helped create the appellation in 1937. Yet Sébastien has spent his own career pushing in a radical direction: Cabernet Franc with no added sulfur, fermented with wild yeast and raised in amphorae.
Backstory
Sébastien took his first vintage in 1999, becoming the 15th generation of his family to make wine here. From that first vintage he committed to organic and then biodynamic farming, and in recent years he has begun exploring permaculture as well. His no-sulfur conviction is total, and it has at times put him at odds with French authorities over how additive-free wines are classified and labeled.
The Region
Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil sits in Touraine, in the central Loire Valley, where Cabernet Franc is the signature red grape. The appellation was established in 1937. Its terraces range from light sand and gravel near the Loire, which give perfumed, early-drinking reds, to firmer clay and limestone on the slopes, which add grip and structure. The cool, temperate climate keeps the wines fresh and aromatic.
Vineyards & Farming
The estate works around 15 hectares, planted to Cabernet Franc with vines ranging from 35 to roughly 100 years old. Everything is farmed biodynamically and harvested by hand. Sébastien speaks often about the energy of the land, and his viticulture is intended to keep the soils alive and self-sustaining rather than chemically managed. The oldest parcels, on poorer soils, give the most concentrated fruit.
Winemaking
Vinification is uncompromisingly natural. Fermentations run on indigenous yeasts, the wines are neither fined nor filtered, and no sulfur is added at any stage. Sébastien raises the wines in a mix of vessels chosen for neutrality and gentle oxygen exchange: terracotta amphorae, concrete eggs, and open and ovoid vats. The finished wines are vegan.
The Wines
The range is built entirely on Cabernet Franc, from the juicy, gulpable Hurluberlu to more serious, amphora-raised and old-vine cuvées such as Coëf. The style is pure, unadorned, and additive-free, an honest read of the grape and the sandy Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil soils. The amphora-raised wines in particular show a different face of Loire Cabernet Franc, with the silky texture and gentle structure that terracotta encourages. Sébastien's insistence on zero added sulfur remains central to his philosophy and to the identity of the domaine, and it has made him a reference point for a wider movement of natural growers in the Loire and beyond.