Dominique Dufour

Wines from Domaine Dominique Dufour: buy at the best price

At the heart of Anjou, between the steep slopes of the Layon and the granite landscapes of Maine-et-Loire, Domaine Dominique Dufour stands as a discreet yet essential address for any lover of great natural white wines. Located in Rablay-sur-Layon, in the heart of Anjou, this estate is the work of an engineer turned passionate winemaker, who chose to dedicate his retirement to the art of viticulture on his native land. With a single plot tended like a garden, yields among the lowest in the region, and a philosophy resolutely oriented towards living, additive-free wine, Domaine Dominique Dufour produces chenin blancs of great purity and rare complexity.

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Dominique Dufour Aussigouins Experto R 2024
22 in stock
124783
White
75cl
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Vin de France | Vin de France

Dominique Dufour Aussigouins Experto R 2024

€48.00 inc-VAT per bottle
€40.00 ex-VAT
The TOP winemakers of Loire

History of Domaine Dominique Dufour

After a long career in aeronautics, carried out in Paris and then in Bordeaux, Dominique Dufour and his wife Marie-Claude decided, at the time of their retirement, to return to Rablay-sur-Layon, Dominique's family village. They took over the winemaking house belonging to Dominique's parents, set up a small cellar there and took back the family vines. This return to roots was by no means an improvised career change: Dominique settled on the terroir of Les Aussigouins to devote himself to his passion, wine. In this endeavour, he benefited from the invaluable advice of a neighbouring plot-holder who became a friend: Richard Leroy, who owns vines right next to his plot at Les Aussigouins.

In 2014, Dominique took charge of Les Aussigouins, a vineyard that has belonged to his family for generations. The plot is shared: he shares it 80% with Mai and Kenji Hodgson, an emerging winemaking couple. From the very first vintage, the wines surprised with their maturity, tension and sincerity. Although the estate is very young, the wines immediately ranked among the finest Loire Chenins. In just a few vintages, the name of Dominique Dufour began to circulate in the best cellars, among connoisseurs and enthusiasts of natural wines from the Loire Valley.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Dominique Dufour

The terroir of Les Aussigouins is one of the most secretive and most precious addresses in the Anjou appellation. A precious plant material takes root through schist and spilite, a soil of volcanic origin. This subsoil, born of ancient volcanic activity, imparts to the wines a sharp minerality, a taut texture and a depth reminiscent of the finest Loire terroirs. It is on this small patch of land near Rablay-en-Layon, a stone's throw from Les Montbenault, that Dominique cultivates and vinifies Chenin blanc on these magnificent schist and spilite terroirs.

The vineyard, facing due south on the hillsides around Rablay-sur-Layon, covers barely 0.73 hectares of Chenin blanc. This unique plot, cultivated like a garden, is the setting for respectful and meticulous viticulture. Dominique tends his plant heritage by adopting organic farming and biodynamic principles, thereby managing to transcribe the vibrant message of his terroir. The harvest is carried out entirely by hand, with rigorous sorting of the grapes, so as to bring only berries of impeccable quality into the cellar. Yields are deliberately kept low at 15 to 20 hectolitres per hectare in order to produce concentrated, refined and complex juices. 

Winemaking at Domaine Dominique Dufour

Dominique Dufour's winemaking philosophy rests on a founding principle: never betray the raw material. The work begins in the vineyard, but it is in the cellar that the precision of the engineer meets the sensitivity of the winemaker. The winemaking process is based on principles of gentleness and naturalness. The grape juice descends into the barrels by gravity, thus avoiding any rough handling. For the white wines, pressing is slow and delicate, preserving the purity of the aromas. Settling, a short stage of 18 hours, eliminates impurities without recourse to enzymes. Fermentations are initiated by indigenous yeasts, the true guardians of the identity of the terroir and the vintage.

Since 2018, Dominique Dufour has refused to use a single gram of sulphite in his wines. This radical stance, which demands exemplary technical mastery at every stage, guarantees wines of absolute purity, where the grape, the soil and the vintage express themselves unfiltered. Ageing in barrel promotes the progressive maturation of the wine, without seeking to overload it with woody notes. A combination of different container sizes and barrel ages is used to craft balanced cuvées. The winemaking and ageing unfold through autolysis and gentle oxygenation, a process that nourishes the wine's texture and develops its aromatic complexity over time. Production is minuscule for such a small vineyard, often barely a few barrels per vintage.

The cuvées of Domaine Dominique Dufour

Experto R, dry Chenin blanc, Vin de France (Les Aussigouins)

The Experto R cuvée is the estate's flagship wine, the one upon which Dominique Dufour's reputation has been built vintage after vintage. Experto R is a Chenin blanc aged in old barrels, some of which come from Château Haut-Brion. This wine reveals a beautiful tension, a silky texture and an aromatic complexity that captivates lovers of artisan wines. Experto R is a dry Chenin blanc with expressive notes of exotic fruits, camomile, gentle spices and an earthy minerality, where the ripeness of the grape is precisely counterbalanced by a lively, zesty acidity. On the palate, the wine captivates with its straightforwardness and balance: this Loire Chenin displays a remarkable mineral tension, characterised by a refreshing vivacity on the palate. Its sensory profile evokes an elegant minerality that transcends the tasting experience, offering an authentic expression of the terroir.

Nectar d'Empyrée, sweet Chenin blanc, Vin de France (Les Aussigouins)

In particularly generous years, a cuvée of late-harvested Chenin blanc is produced: the Nectar d'Empyrée. This wine shines with a honeyed tropical profile, enhanced by smoky notes and an irresistible freshness on the palate. A confidential cuvée par excellence, the Nectar d'Empyrée is not produced every vintage: it comes into being only when the climatic conditions and the ripeness of the grapes are perfect for producing a sweet wine of impeccable quality. This late-harvest Chenin combines an intense aromatic richness — candied fruits, apricot, flower honey, subtle smoky notes — with the volcanic minerality characteristic of the schists of Les Aussigouins. The palate, ample and enveloping, remains carried by a natural freshness that prevents any heaviness and bestows upon the wine an exceptional length.

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