La Niverdière, Martine Budé

Chinon, Loire, France

The wines of Martine Budé came as a revelation to us in the summer of 2021. We weren't particularly looking for a Chinon producer nor were we looking to add a series of Cabernet Franc cuvées to our list. There are wines however that are simply so good and so reflective of a winemaker's unique energy that it would be impossible not to list them, and this is exactly what happened here. 

Though she is originally from Belgium, Martine's wine story began with a visit to the Loire as a tourist in 1996. It was in Chinon that she met her now ex-husband and ended up living there ever since. Whilst she was married to a winemaker and hence was in tune with the work of a grower, she was never directly involved in the cellar work. 

 

Her interest in actually making wine was at its infancy in 2012 when she went to a local viticulture school, one focused on organic and respectful practices. This was followed by a couple of harvests working with grower Phillipe Alliet. When she eventually separated from her husband, she came across a property and small plot of land for sale in the Beaumont-en-Véron zone of the Chinon appellation and a new story began to be written.

This was 2015, the year that ended up being her first vintage on her own. Considering how precise and impressive her 2015s are, it is mind boggling that she was guided only by pure intuition and instinct, something that continues to this day. In her own words, 'it has come so naturally to me, it's as if I had been a grower and winemaker in a previous life, I really can't explain it but I felt so comfortable in that environment from the very start.'

Today Martine farms 8 hectares of vines with the help of a small team. They are split across three zones of the appellation though primarily in Beaumont-en-Véron (chalk/sand/little limestone), along with Cravant-Les-Coteaux (limestone/gravel). The farming has been organic from the very start, and she also applies some biodynamic practices. 

In the cellar the work is very minimal, with the aim of showcasing the purity and elegance of Cabernet Franc in as lean and as refined an expression as possible. All the vinifications and elevage happen in concrete tanks, and are always done in infusion style, meaning no punchdowns for a very light and soft extraction. The wines are never fined nor filtered and are bottled with a minimal sulphite addition, the latter being something she has always been very sensitive to herself. 

Martine's wines are able to capture the true essence of Cabernet Franc and the rusticity of Chinon but with a progressive approach and a distinct personal energy. The wines are lean, soft, and beguiling. Pure and uncompromising expressions of fruit and soil. They are serious wines with an undeniable charm. It is an honour for us to list them, and to showcase a producer who we truly believe will soon be considered amongst the shining stars of the region.