# Bourgueil Merci la Vie (2025)

- **Producer:** Domaine de L'Oubliée
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Cabernet Franc
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €13
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blackberry, cherry, raspberry, violet, herbaceous

## About this wine

Domaine de L'Oubliée was established in 2009 by Xavier Courant in Saint-Patrice, within the Bourgueil appellation of the Loire Valley. A former Parisian wine merchant, Courant trained under famed Saumur vigneron Romain Guiberteau before establishing his own estate. Passionate about French cinema, Courant names each cuvée after films or novels by director Bertrand Blier, with Merci la Vie honoring Blier's 1991 coming-of-age film. The estate practices certified organic and biodynamic viticulture.

## Interesting facts

- Every cuvée at Domaine de L'Oubliée is named after a film or novel by iconic French director Bertrand Blier.
- Winemaker Xavier Courant left his career as a Parisian wine merchant to make natural wine in the Loire Valley.
- The wine is fermented and aged entirely in concrete vats with zero oak contact to maintain freshness.

## Food pairing

The vibrant acidity and crunchy fruit profile of this un-oaked Cabernet Franc make it exceptionally versatile at table. Fine, structured tannins cut through the fat of cured meats and artisanal cheeses, while bright red berry notes complement roasted poultry and grilled meats without overpowering them.

## Wine making process

Grown on 45-year-old vines rooted in sandy gravel and clay-limestone soils, the Cabernet Franc grapes are hand-harvested and fully destemmed. Fermentation occurs naturally in concrete vats using indigenous yeasts without added oenological inputs. Following a three-week maceration, the wine ages in concrete vats for 8 to 10 months. It sees zero oak exposure to preserve pure fruit intensity, and is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur additions.