Château de Bois Brinçon - Le Clos des Cosses 2023
In Blaison-Saint-Sulpice, southeast of Angers, the Château de Bois Brinçon belongs to the historic properties of the Anjou vineyard, with origins dating back to the 13th century. The Cailleau family has been established here for five generations and today continues work based on the precise reading of the many terroirs of the estate. The vineyard occupies a remarkable geological position, at the meeting point of the Paris Basin and the Armorican Massif, giving rise to a great diversity of soils on a relatively small territory. Le Clos des Cosses is one of the estate's single-vineyard cuvées and comes from a particularly original terroir of marl with ostracods, ancient sedimentary formations rich in small fossils. Located in the commune of Gohier, this parcel offers Chenin Blanc an environment conducive to an expression that is both structured and mineral. The estate manages it according to the principles of organic and biodynamic farming, in a constant search for balance and soil vitality. Le Clos des Cosses Blanc thus constitutes a unique interpretation of Anjou, where the depth of Chenin is accompanied by a particularly pronounced freshness.
Le Clos des Cosses 2023 is made exclusively from Chenin Blanc, hand-harvested to preserve the integrity of the grapes until their arrival at the winery. Whole clusters are directly placed in a pneumatic press for a particularly slow pressing, lasting eight to ten hours. This gradual extraction allows obtaining precise juices while preserving the aromatic finesse of the grape variety. Fermentation then takes place in a truncated oak vat, a container that allows the wine to gain texture without imposing an excessive woody imprint. Aging also continues in wood, promoting slow evolution and harmonious integration of the different elements of the wine. On this marl terroir with ostracods, Chenin develops a broader structure than that of Terre de Grès, while maintaining the tension essential to its balance. The 2023 vintage is particularly interesting in this association between body, freshness, and mineral character.
Le Clos des Cosses 2023 reveals an expressive bouquet where yellow apple and orchard fruits meet lemon zest, dry herbs, and discreet floral nuances. On the palate, the wine has a broad and structured body, immediately balanced by a chalky acidity that brings a lot of energy. The texture is more enveloping than that of a Chenin raised only in tank, while the work in the oak vat brings depth without masking the purity of the fruit. A pronounced minerality runs through the tasting and leads to a fresh, precise, and persistent finish. A few years in the bottle should allow this cuvée to gain complexity, with the gradual appearance of nuances of wax, dried fruits, and soft spices. Its balance between breadth and tension makes it a white wine particularly suited to gastronomy. It will wonderfully accompany Provençal red mullet, roasted sea bream, pan-seared scallops, pike-perch with beurre blanc, or an aged goat cheese.
Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
