Clos Kixhaya
WinemakerS
Beatriz Papamija
TYPE OF AGRICULTURE
Organic with biodynamic principles.
VINEYARD AREA
4 ha
Country, Region, Subregion
Beatriz, born in Colombia has taken quite the long-route round to her new home and life as a winemaker in Chinon.
With stops living in Paris, London, Birmingham and Colombia over the last 10 years, she slowly formulated the long-term plan of settling somewhere with her family to become a winemaker. Falling in love with the Loire, it took her a three-year hunt to find just what she was looking for.
After nearly giving up the search in late 2019 they found- on Gumtree of all places- 4 hectares of old vines in Chinon, with a house and cellar beside them. The jackpot!
Planted exclusively with Cabernet Franc on sandy gravel over clay and limestone beside the river, their vines are between 30-90 years old.
Certified organic, but working above and beyond the minimum requirements for organic and even biodynamic certification. Biodiversity is the priority here, promoting life as much as possible, and disturbing as little as necessary.
Alongside practices with herbal teas for the vines brewed from the plants sewn alongside, Béa recently helped found a local co-op for biodynamically-minded vignerons in Chinon and Touraine. The 'Bouses Tourangelles' share the labour (and manure) in preparing the biodynamic preparations for their vines.
Béa compares her work in the cellar to slow-cooking: "I let the fermentations go at their own pace, and not do too much extraction" she prefers her work in the vines before harvest to be a "finger in the air feeling" as to which grapes will go to each cuvee, trusting her intuition and taste, instead of analysis. And it's working.
Principled in her approach, hugely enthusiastic, and producing exciting, pure, zero-sulphur expressions of Cabernet Franc, Bea’s is a unique project that we are thrilled to see go from strength to strength.
FOR ANY UK WHOLESALE AND STOCK ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT HELLO@WINESUTB.COM
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