Benoit Courault Gilbourg Loire Valley 2023 750ml

Benoît Courault "Gilbourg" 2023 is a highly regarded natural white wine from the Loire Valley, France.

Producer: Benoît Courault, a respected natural winemaker based in Faye d'Anjou (Anjou region). He transitioned from sommelier to vigneron, training in Beaune and working with icons like Dominique Derain, Yvon Métras, and especially Eric Pfifferling (Domaine l'Anglore). He farms about 5 hectares of old vines organically, using draft horses for plowing, herbal treatments, and minimal intervention.

Grape & Style: 100% Chenin Blanc from vines around 40+ years old on schistous/clay-schist soils. It's often described as his "tête de cuvée" (top white), pure, vibrant, and elegant—considered one of the best natural Chenins from the Loire.

Winemaking: Hand-harvested, long gentle press, spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts in used barrels or foudres, aged 8–12 months in oak. No fining, no filtration, and little to no added SO₂ (often none or tiny amounts). Natural wine approach.

Tasting Notes: Expect complex fruit (pear, yellow fruits, apple, peach, acacia flowers), minerality, freshness, balance between amplitude and tension, with a long, saline finish. Pure, intense, and harmonious—drinkable now but with aging potential.