Pierre de Tuf is without doubt one of the most original and historic cuvées in the Chinon appellation. Its name says it all: the vat in which this wine macerates and ferments was dug out of the tufa rock in the 15th century, on the hillside overlooking the estate. Jérôme Billard has been making wine in this centuries-old vat since 2003, the year he took over Domaine de la Noblaie in Ligré, on the left bank of the Vienne, in the heart of the Chinon PDO.
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The estate covers 26 hectares farmed organically since 2005 - one of the appellation's pioneers. 20 hectares of Cabernet Franc, 6 hectares of Chenin, surrounded by woods that protect the vines naturally. Sheep graze in the rows in winter, and chickens roam year-round. A biodiversity cultivated with conviction for two decades.
Pierre de Tuf 2023 comes from two of the estate's historic parcels: one planted on Senonian flinty clay known as "Cornuelles", the other on clay-limestone. These are the estate's oldest vines - Cabernet Franc planted in the 1930s, over 80 years old - whose roots plunge deep into the faults of the limestone tufa to draw from it a minerality characteristic of great Chinon. This soil imposes a natural concentration and slow ripening on the berries, with very low yields.
The winemaking process is as rare as the terroir: hand-picked grapes, sorted grain by grain, are transferred to the 15th-century tuffeau vat for a long maceration with manual punching down with a wooden pestle - an ancient technique that gently releases aromas without brutalizing tannins. Aging then lasts 20 months in oak barrels and 500-liter amphoras on lees, before a few months in vats for refining before bottling.
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The 2023 opens with a complex, deep nose of black fruits - blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry - with spicy notes of pepper, Espelette pepper and a touch of cocoa. Full-bodied, dense and elegant on the palate, with smooth, silky tannins and a fresh, mineral, slightly saline finish - the signature of Loire tuffeau. Decant for one hour, or cellar for 3-15 years. Bettane+Desseauve 3 stars on the domaine.
Serve between 15 and 17°C with a 7-hour leg of lamb, a game dish in sauce, a mature rib-eye steak or mature cheeses - Époisses, Comté, Sainte-Maure de Touraine.
Discover also other Domaine de la Noblaie cuvées: Le Temps des Cerises, La Part des Anges, Les Chiens-Chiens.
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