DOMAINE DU CHAT HUANT

Candé-sur-Beuvron, Loire Valley

Blandine Floch is a young and passionate winemaker based near the town of Blois in Touraine. She got her start in 2011 by helping in the vines and cellar of the legendary Olivier Lemasson, quickly falling in love with this new way of life. She eventually went on to train under the likes of Thierry Puzelat, Remi Dufaitre, Domaine du Scarabée, as well as natural pioneers Pheasant’s Tears and Artanuli Gvino in Georgia. These experiences equipped her with the skills she needed to return to the Loire Valley to start her own project, fueled by a love for pure farming and minimalist winemaking.

She currently farms 2.35 ha of rented vines from an assortment of parcels on the plateau above Monthou-sur-Bièvre, and supplements this with some purchased organic grapes. In 2021, due to historically low yields in the Loire Valley, Blandine, along with several other local vignerons, sourced some organic Grenache from the Gard region. In the cellar, she executes all vinifications via natural processes, with respect for the fruit, environment and final consumer. Fruit is meticulously harvested to ensure that only the healthiest and ripest grapes make the cut. All fermentations are done spontaneously with native yeasts, followed by aging in neutral wood, which allows the wines to breathe naturally. Only small amounts of sulfur are used at bottling, allowing the true terroir of the region and vintage to shine through in each cuvée produced.