Clos Cristal - Éric Dubois
LOIRE
Listed as a Historic Monument, the famous Clos Cristal, with its 10 hectares of vines, was created in Souzay-Champigny around 1900 by the famous “Père” Cristal, a non-conformist and visionary winemaker, and was then bequeathed in 1929 to the Hospices de Saumur. Both exceptional and a true emblem of Saumur, this domain in the Saumur-Champigny appellation was led with the greatest rigor by Éric Dubois from 1995 to 2015… before being transferred to the local cooperative cellar.
The singularity of Clos Cristal is to have rows of parallel walls (3 km) along which and through which the vines of Cabernet Franc grow. Faithful to the spirit of the creator of the vineyard, with the desire to achieve the greatest authenticity through the care of the vine and natural vinification, Éric Dubois worked as a true artist for 20 years (1995-2015) on this historic clos, producing in particular the Boutifolle cuvée – named after the locality, with old Cabernet Franc vines on limestone soil –, a dense red, with straight and precise tannins, a wine that will age well.