Sold Out
Domaine Le Briseau

Patapon Blanc 2020

Price: $33.95
Enter your email address below to be notified when this product is back in stock.
Tasting notes

Patapon Blanc is Domaine Le Briseau's most direct expression of Chenin Blanc: dry, lively, and built around ripe pear, quince, and honeysuckle with a stony finish. It comes from clay-flint-limestone soils worked organically and biodynamically, and it is made without any additions beyond a trace of sulfur at bottling. For a natural Chenin at this price, the combination of clarity and textural grip is hard to match.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
PearQuinceHoneysuckleFlint
  • Style: Dry, light-bodied white; 100% Chenin Blanc; ripe pear, quince, honeysuckle; stony finish; Vin de France
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Chenin Blanc; multi-parcel blend; clay and silica over Turonian limestone with flint; Marçon, northern Touraine, Loire Valley
  • Winemaking: Whole-cluster direct press; 24hr débourbage; fermented and aged in tank; MLF completed naturally; light filtration; minimal SO2 at bottling
  • Serving: Serve at 48-52°F; no decant needed; drink now through 2025
  • Pairing: Trout or salmon with beurre blanc, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, fresh goat's cheese, cream sauces
  • Similar To: For fans of dry Loire Chenin Blanc who want an organic, naturally made, fruit-forward everyday white

Patapon Blanc is 100% Chenin Blanc sourced from multiple parcels at Domaine Le Briseau in Marçon, in the Jasnières and Coteaux-du-Loir area of northern Touraine. The estate's soils are clay and silica over a subsoil of Turonian limestone, with blocks of flint throughout. The Patapon is the domaine's most approachable white, a multi-parcel blend described by the producers themselves as fruity and free-flowing compared to the single-vineyard cuvées. It is bottled as Vin de France, a designation the domaine applies intentionally across all its wines.

In the cellar, grapes are whole-cluster pressed slowly and gently. After 24 hours of débourbage (settling), the juice ferments and ages in tank until bottling. Malolactic fermentation is allowed to run to completion and is never stopped. The wine is racked off its gross lees, given a light filtration, and receives a small addition of sulfur dioxide at bottling. No other additions are made.

The domaine was founded in 2002 by Nathalie Gaubicher and Christian Chaussard in Marçon. Vineyard work has followed organic principles since the beginning, certified by Qualité France, with a conversion to biodynamic practices underway from 2006. Christian Chaussard, a longtime president of the Association des Vins Naturels, was killed in a tractor accident in 2012. Nathalie, now Nathalie Hérédia, continues to run the estate with a local full-time vineyard employee.

Chenin Blanc from this part of the Loire tends toward ripe yellow fruit, honeysuckle, and a stony mineral edge. In the glass, Patapon Blanc shows pear, quince, and a touch of jasmine, finishing dry with the variety's characteristic grip of acidity. The 80-year-old Chenin vines on the estate contribute concentration even in the entry-level blend.

River fish is the classic match for Loire Chenin Blanc: trout, salmon, or pike with a beurre blanc sauce all work well. Soft goat's cheese from the Loire, such as Sainte-Maure de Touraine, is a natural pairing with the wine's acidity and mineral edge. It also holds up to dishes with a light cream sauce or fresh herbs.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, White Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Chenin Blanc
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2020
Alcohol:, 12%
Country:, France
Region:, Loire Valley
Appellation:, Vin de France
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Domaine Le Briseau

Domaine Le Briseau was founded in 2002 by Christian Chaussard and Nathalie Gaubicher in Marçon, in the Jasnières and Coteaux-du-Loir area of northern Touraine. Chaussard was a former viticulture and oenology teacher in Amboise who had previously run an estate in Vouvray, where he is credited with independently discovering pétillant naturel by bottling wine with residual sugar. Gaubicher is a Swiss actress who also holds oenologist and sommelier diplomas. The domaine started with four hectares planted mainly to Chenin Blanc and Pineau d'Aunis and grew to eleven hectares by 2007. Chaussard served as president of the Association des Vins Naturels (AVN) for five years and was a significant influence on a generation of Loire natural wine producers. He was killed in a tractor accident in September 2012. Nathalie, now remarried to vigneron Emile Hérédia and going by Nathalie Hérédia, continues to operate the estate with a local full-time vineyard employee and returns for pruning, harvest, and vinification.

All vineyard work at Le Briseau follows organic principles, certified from the estate's founding by Qualité France. No pesticides, insecticides, or synthetic fertilizers are used. Nettle and horsetail decoctions are sprayed on the foliage; copper usage is kept below 5 kg per hectare per year. Vines are plowed and grass is allowed to grow between rows. In 2006, the estate began a conversion to biodynamic practices. Some of the Chenin Blanc vines on the estate are approximately 80 years old. The estate has been reduced in size to approximately 6.3 hectares under Nathalie's current management. Three distinct soil zones on the property, named Jasnières, Briseau, and Mortiers, inform the different cuvées. The domaine name itself comes from a lieu-dit where the flint-heavy soils are so hard they shatter the tools used to work them.

For white wines, whole clusters go directly to press for a slow, gentle extraction. The juice settles for 24 hours (débourbage) before fermenting and aging in tank. Malolactic fermentation is permitted to complete naturally and is never halted. The wine is racked off its gross lees, given a light filtration, and receives a small addition of sulfur dioxide at bottling. Patapon Blanc is a blend from multiple parcels and is described by the domaine as the most fruit-forward and straightforward of the white cuvées. All wines from Le Briseau are declassified to Vin de France by choice.

Wine region

Loire Valley, France

Jasnières and Coteaux-du-Loir form the northernmost appellations in the Loire Valley, located in the Sarthe department between the cities of Le Mans and Tours, roughly 155 miles southwest of Paris. Jasnières covers approximately 80 hectares and is planted exclusively with Chenin Blanc, while Coteaux-du-Loir covers around 200 hectares and also produces red wines from Pineau d'Aunis, Gamay, and Côt. The Loir River, a tributary of the Loire, runs through the area; the vineyards follow south-facing slopes along its banks, protected to the north by the Bercé Forest.

The soils across both appellations are dominated by Turonian chalk (tuffeau) that has broken down into flinty clay over a limestone subsoil, making for stony, difficult-to-work terrain. This combination of flint and chalk drives the mineral character and firm acidity that defines the best Chenin Blanc from the area. The climate is temperate oceanic with numerous microclimates created by slope aspect and valley exposure. Chenin Blanc is the only grape permitted for white Jasnières AOC wines; both Jasnières (AOC since 1937) and Coteaux-du-Loir (AOC since 1948) remain among the smallest and least commercially prominent appellations in France, which keeps quality-to-price ratios strong.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

This collection features our best selling natural wine from all around the world. It's the best place to start you natural wine journey! Browse one of the largest selections of natural wine available online in the United States.

Primal Wine Natural Wine Club is the best way to discover natural wine. Let us do the heavy-lifting, sit back, and relax. We will send you an ever-changing selection of natural wine made by top producers from around the world.

Our customers love Primal

I'm just copying and pasting from the hundreds messages we received, no pseudo reviews!
Erin C.

We love our membership so far and can't wait until our next shipment.

Jennifer B.

A note to say that we are loving the tasting notes sheet you’re sending!

James S.

I'm really happy to find Primal – your selections are terrific. 

Samuel M.

Love your company, always a great wine selection. 

Chelsea V.

I love what you guys do!

What Is | Primal Wine

What is natural wine?

Natural wine is a type of wine made in small batches from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention.
What Is Biodynamic Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is Biodynamics?

Biodynamic wine is wine made from grapes farmed biodynamically. Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach.
What Is Organic Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is organic wine?

Organic wine is made with grapes farmed organically. Organic farming is an alternative to conventional farming.
What Is Vegan Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is vegan wine?

Vegan wine is wine made without using animal products during the fining phase of the clarification process.