Domaine de la Butte

Jacky Blot, the story of a man in love with wine

Jacky Blot's story is intrinsically linked to wine. After starting his career as a salesman travelling the roads of France, Jacky realized that he wanted to get closer to the product he sold every day. It was in Touraine that he decided to try his hand at making wine. In 1988, he bought a few plots of vines in Montlouis sur Loire with the intention of producing sparkling wine. The following year, he took up the challenge of making sweet wines. Unfortunately, this momentum was quickly brought to a halt, as the 90s proved to be a real rocky road, with frost, poor sunshine and so on. Only six years after his debut, Jacky was faced with a harsh realization: if he didn't find the miracle recipe to produce an exceptional wine, he could say goodbye to the winegrowing profession and go back to being a mere salesman. A little desperate, he embarked on two projects: a longer vinification and ageing process to magnify the dry Chenins on the one hand, and Pet' Nat' on the other. Both were a success, and the talented winemaker began to make a name for himself.

The Domaine de la Butte in Bourgueil

Touraine is essentially a white terroir where Chenin is king: the AOCs of Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire are perfect examples. In these vineyards, Chenin can produce both bland, acidic wines if harvested too early, and complex, highly aromatic wines with aromas of quince, almond or honey. Jacky has long remained faithful to this grape variety, growing 35ha of Domaine de la Taille aux Loups in Montlouis. But in 2002, he decided to try his hand at reds and bought the Domaine de la Butte in parallel.

The region's red grape variety is Cabernet Franc, here known as "Côt". Despite a Burgundian approach to terroir, the wines obtained are more reminiscent of Bordeaux in terms of their powerful character. Côt produces well-balanced wines with pronounced tannins, aromas of fresh red fruit (raspberry) and a vegetal side (bordering on green bell pepper if the berries were harvested a little young). However, it retains its "northern wine" character thanks to its underlying acidity.

The Domaine's wines are almost exclusively made from Vieilles Vignes, which enhances their concentration and complexity. Jacky is a winemaker who is close to nature: in the vineyard, we follow the rules of organic farming to respect the soil and the terroir. And in the cellars, we intervene as little as possible. Without being truly "natures", the domaine's wines are one of the purest and most beautiful expressions of the Bourgueil appellation. The famous critic Jancis Robinson even describes them as one of the best value for money in the region!