Emmanuel Haget - 'Loustic' - Pineu d'Aunis, Cab Franc - Loire Valley, FR - 2021

This wine really understood the assignment. Two of our favorite grapes blended in one of our favorite places by a winemaker who quickly finds himself on the list of our favorite Loire Valley producers. This guy gets it. Whether it's chilled or with grilled... anything - This wine wants to be consumed with a smile and a giggle between friends. 😚

Grapes: 70% Cabernet Franc, 30% Pinot d’Aunis
Soil/ Terroir: From Manu’s Clos Saint Jacques vineyard in Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame. This parcel contains the vineyard’s oldest vines. Soils are a combination of sandy-clay silt and alterite of green chalk.
Average Vine Age: 50 years
Farming Practices: Biodynamic
Vinification: Pineau d’Aunis: 8-day maceration, Cabernet Franc: 22-day maceration. Parcels are then blended and racked into tank.
Aging: Aged in vats for 5 months.
Fining/Filtration: none
SO2: 10mg/l
Alc/Vol: 13%

Number of bottles produced: 3000

Emmanuel Haget spent 20 years as a geophysicist before changing course for a life in the vines. Motivated by a strong desire to leave the temptations and fast pace of modern life for a more deliberate, humble life surrounded by nature, he found his way to Puy-Notre-Dame, about 20 minutes from Saumur in the Loire Valley.
Passionate about ecology and sustainable farming, Manu had the good fortune of meeting Philippe Gourdon, one of the leaders in biodynamic viticulture in the region. As Gourdon neared retirement age, he agreed to sell his vines and cellar to Manu in late 2016. Beginning with the 2017 vintage, Manu has continued the tradition of the domaine, maintaining the biodynamic practices in the existing parcels, and converting new parcels as soon as he takes over. Holdings now consist of 5 parcels, totaling 3.8 ha, with a mix of Chenin, Pinot d’Aunis, and AOC Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame Cabernet Franc (the only grape permitted by the appellation).
Manu’s thoughtfulness and attention to detail extends from the vineyards to the cellar. From the more convivial and bright Pétillant and the Pinot d’Aunis-based reds, to the more cerebral and focused Cabernet Francs and Chenin, he manages to imbue a sense of brightness, joy, and beautiful simplicity in each of his wines. He firmly believes that transparency comes from hard work in the vines, and the often excruciatingly low yields that come with ecologically sound farming. All fermentations are completed using indigenous yeasts, and when the wines receive sulfur – not necessarily always the case – it never totals more than 2.5g/hl.

Name of Domaine: Emmanuel Haget
Year Founded: 2017
Location: Puy-Notre-Dame, Loire
Total Holdings: 3.8 hectares
Bottles produced/year: 18,000
Number of Workers: 1
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Pineau d’Aunis
Average Vine Age: 35 years
Farming Practices: Biodynamic, hand-harvesting.