{"title":"Domaine du Mortier","description":"\u003cp\u003eCyril and Fabien Boisard did not inherit a winemaking tradition. They fell into it as teenagers when their parents bought a house with a small vineyard, and that accidental passion grew into one of the most respected natural-wine addresses in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Boisards' parents acquired the property with its vines in 1989. The brothers founded Domaine du Mortier in 1996, naming it after the hamlet where the cellar and vineyards sit, just west of the town of Bourgueil. The estate now produces roughly 75,000 bottles a year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore on how they farm and work in the cellar in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/natural-wine-producers-primal-wine\/domaine-du-mortier\"\u003eDomaine du Mortier producer profile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"la-ptit-vadrouille-domaine-du-mortier-loire-france-red-wine","title":"Domaine du Mortier La P'tit Vadrouille 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003eLa P'tit Vadrouille (\"a lil' stroll\") was born from disaster. A catastrophic spring frost in April 2016 wiped out roughly 75% of Domaine du Mortier's crop in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Rather than skip the vintage, brothers Cyril and Fabien Boisard sourced organic fruit from a friend's 5-hectare plot near Bergerac in Dordogne, harvested the grapes themselves across three trips in September, and drove them back to their cellar in a refrigerated truck. The result is a one-time, frost-response cuvée labeled Vin de France — not AOC — because the grapes came from outside the appellation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2016 is a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, fermented via 12-day semi-carbonic maceration without pump-overs, keeping the grapes still in tank the entire time to preserve fruit aromatics. After pressing, the wine aged in concrete tanks before being bottled with approximately 10ppm of sulfur — the only additive used. No fining, no filtration, native yeast throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDomaine du Mortier has been certified organic since 1999 (Ecocert) and has practiced biodynamics since 2007. The estate sits at the northern edge of the Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOC in the hamlet of La Gardière, above the village of St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and close to the treeline. Their home vineyards sit on diverse soils: gravel, sand, clay, and flint over tuffeau chalk. This wine carries the Vin Méthode Nature label.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the glass, expect a lighter-bodied, fruit-forward red with the juicy, low-tannin character that semi-carbonic maceration produces in Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Dordogne fruit shows ripe dark cherry and plum alongside violet and a touch of white pepper. Best served with a slight chill.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domaine du Mortier","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12310744301623,"sku":"DODMLAPV16C","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/mortier-vadrouille-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780760548"},{"product_id":"les-pins-cabernet-franc-domaine-du-mortier-loire-france-natural-wine","title":"Domaine du Mortier Les Pins Cabernet Franc 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003eLes Pins is 100% Cabernet Franc from a single parcel at the lieu-dit Les Pins in the Bourgueil AOC — the only Bourgueil appellation wine in the Domaine du Mortier lineup. Vines average 60 years of age and grow on clay and chalk soils, locally known as tuffeau. The 2016 vintage was significantly impacted by spring frosts, resulting in severely depleted yields.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrapes are hand-harvested and fermented as whole bunches in an open-top 50-hectoliter oak vat. Fermentation is initiated with a starter of lees from previous vintages. Boxes line the tank bottom to keep the grape clusters off the juice below. Maceration runs approximately 20 days, after which the wine ages 10 months in oak before bottling with a minimal addition of sulfur.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe domaine is certified organic by Ecocert since 1999 and has practiced biodynamics since 2007. No chaptalisation, no commercial yeasts, and no fining or filtration. Sulfur use is kept to a minimum and applied only at bottling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe chalky tuffeau terroir of Les Pins sits at the boundary between the Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil appellations. Tuffeau is highly porous, drawing excess water away from roots while retaining reserves during dry periods — a key factor in the mineral tension that defines this cuvee. At 13% ABV, this is a structured but not heavy wine, built around Cabernet Franc's natural acidity and firm but fine tannins.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domaine du Mortier","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13029162188855,"sku":"DODMLEPI16C","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/les-pins-cabernet-franc-domaine-du-mortier-loire-france-natural-wine_9c7e9359-ca2a-4c02-a293-ae2e8a1eb54a.jpg?v=1780658313"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/domaine-du-mortier.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}