Clos du Tue-Boeuf, Les Montils

There is plenty of history around Clos du Tue-Boeuf, you can trace winemaking here back to the middle ages. This place used to be a place of sacrifice, hence the name. Since the 15th century this 6 hectares ‘Clos’ has been in the hands of the Puzelat family.
Thierry and Jean-Marie Puzelat took over fully from their father when he was old enough to let it go in 1994. Before the 70:s the family tradition was to farm vines, asparagus and cereals. The wines were sold in bulk. Thierry and Jean-Maries father changed this by starting to focus on the wine and started to bottle at the domain.

As soon as Thierry and Jean-Marie took over they started to make wines in a natural way. The vineyards were converted to organic farming in 1996. Today they make 13 different wines from 4 hectares in Cheverny and 4 hectares in Touraine.

Starting from 2020 Thierry and his daughters, Zoe and Louise, are the ones running this estate. Jean Marie is now enjoying a relaxing time just as a retired man should. Zoe and Louise grew up surrounded by the wine and have been on adventures by themselves before returning back home to make sure this estate continues to give us drinking pleasure.

Thierry, is a bit of a famous guy when it comes to many things. In particular from being one of the founders of the L’Association des Vins Naturels in 2002 – one of the first movements for the ‘natural revolution’. He has inspired a lot of people and helped them on how to start working with a natural approach. Before he jumped on the family business he also worked in Saint-Émilion and Montréal for a while.
Besides that, Thierry also created 12 years ago the domaine Puzelat-Bonhomme together with Pierre-O Bonhomme. But since 2014 he has left Pierre-O to take care of it himself. He felt he had a little bit too much to handle with 2 domaines. With that said, he’s right now also planting his first vineyards in Georgia, is co-owner of 2 wine bars in Orléans, teaches at a winemaking school, travels around the world to show the wines and also manages to do a little bit of partying every now and then.
Even though he’s one of the guys that’s been driving the natural wine movement as a force from another world, he renounces the defects that can occur in natural wines. He would rather add a tiny bit of sulfur before bottling to avoid glitches that enable the wines to show their true terroir.

The wines in general:
The reds are elegant, aromatic, fruit driven and mineral with a very fine tannic structure.
The whites are pure, fruity, and elegant with a nice fresh acidity that carries a mineral finish.

2022 Vin Blanc (Also in 20 liter K-keg and in magnum bottle)

Soil: Clay, limestone and silex
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Vin de France
Age of Vines: Planted 1998 – 2014

Vinification: Direct press and then fermented and aged for 2 months in tanks before bottling in November.

---

2022 Put(a)in!…Go fuck yourself

Soil: Sand, limestone and silex
Grape: Sauvignon blanc
Appellation: Vin de France
Age of Vines: Planted 1998 to 2014

Vinification: Direct press and then fermented and aged in tanks until bottling at the end of April 2023.

Extras: We hoped that we would not have to do this a second time around.

When the war on Ukraine started last year we were all in chock, we still are.
A joint effort between Dryckesbutiken and Thierry Puzleat @closdutueboeuf resulted in a swift re-labelling of the Clos du Tue-Boeuf Vin Blanc. Vin Blanc then evolved into a limited edition bottle of wine with a clear message, no further explanation needed:

🗣️ 2021 Put(a)in! Go Fuck Yourself…

Our proceeds of the sales of the first 600 btls made were then donated to UNHCR (34.000 SEK which was in turn doubled by the Akelius foundation).

Skip to todays date and the insanity of the war is still going on with no end in sight.

The 2022 edition of this wine has already reached Sweden and it SOLD OUT, more or less before it reached our shores, thanks to a great number of establishments around the country showing their support and great interest.

We are once again donating the proceeds of this years sales from 600 btls made to @sverige_for_unhcr The total amount: 32 000 sek

Thank you all who contributed by purchasing the wine. The bottles can now be found at various restaurants/bars in Sweden and is not available to order home.

---

2022 Cheverny Blanc ’Frileuse’ (Also in magnum bottle)

Soil: Clay and flint from the 3,8 hectares Frileuse vineyard
Grape: 1/3 Fil Gris (Sauvignon Gris), 1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: AOC Cheverny
Age of Vines: Planted 1970-2005

Vinification: Direct press and then decanting the must for 1 day.  Fermented and aged 8 months in 500 liter old barrels before bottling.

---

Soil: Limestone
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Vin de France
Age of Vines: Planted 1990

Vinification: Direct press then fermented and aged in a 1000 liter sandstone Amphora. Bottled in May 2021.

---

2022 Pineau de la Loire

Soil: Clay, flint, sand and gravel
Grape: 90% Chenin Blanc 10% Menu Pineau
Appellation: Vin de France
Age of Vines: Planted 1993 – 2013

Vinification: Direct press and then fermented and aged for 7 months in old barrels before bottling.

---

2022 Vin Rouge (Also in magnum bottle)

Soil: 70% clay, limestone and Silex on top of Blois Chalk, 30% Granit with volcanic traces and sand from Brouilly.
Grape: 25% Côt and 75% Gamay
Appellation: Vin de France
Age of Vines: Planted 2001-2011

Vinification: Whole bunch fermentation (the Côt and Gamay is vinified separately before the blending takes place) that starts with macération carbonique for a week and goes on for another 7 days in an open vat. Very careful pigeage for the last week, then pressed and aged for 6 months in old demi-muid.

---

2021 Vin Rouge Grenache

Soil: Schist
Grape: Grenache
Appellation: Vin de France
Age of Vines:

Vinification: Whole bunch fermentation that starts with macération carbonique for a week and goes on for another 7 days in an open vat. Very careful pigeage for the last week, then pressed and aged for 6 months in old barrels. Bottled in the last week of March 2022.

Extras: The grapes were bought from Jean-Francois Nicq, an old friend of Thierry in Alberès, due to the extremely difficult vintage and loss of fruit.

---

2020, 2022 Cheverny Rouge ’La Callière’

Soil: Clay, limestone and silex.
Grape: Pinot Noir
Appellation: AOC Cheverny
Age of Vines: Planted 1981

Vinification: Whole bunch fermentation for 2 weeks in open vats, very careful pigéage by hand during the maceration. Then pressed and aged for 10 months in old barriques and 400 L barrels before blending and bottling.

---

 2022 Cheverny Rouge ’Rouillon’

Soil: Clay, limestone and Silex on top of Blois Chalk.
Grape: 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Gamay
Appellation: AOC Cheverny
Age of Vines: Planted 1998

Vinification: Whole bunch fermentation that starts with macération carbonique for a few days and goes on for another 7 days in an open vat.
Very careful pigéage during the last week, then pressed and aged for 5 months in old demi-muid.

---

2022 Cheverny Rouge ’La Gravotte’

Soil: Clay and flint on top of Blois Chalk
Grape: Pinot Noir (with a few % Pinot Gris)
Appellation: AOC Cheverny
Age of Vines: Planted 1976 – 1981

Vinification: Whole bunch fermentation for 2 weeks in open vats, very careful pigéage by hand during the maceration. Then pressed and aged for 7 months in old barriques and 400 L barrels before blending and bottling.

---

A collaboration between Thierry Puzelat and Mauro Vergano. A dry vermouth made from Sauvignon Blanc from the Puzelats infused with china bark, citrus and secret herbs at Mauros ”lab”. The vermouth comes in a 75 cl bottle, 18% alc.

---

Peaux de Sauvignon

A Loire style chacha. The wine and press material of 2020 Sauvignon ’Cuvée Dolia’ (skin macerated orange wine made in qvevri) was distilled and aged in old oak until November 2022.
Peaux de Sauvignon comes in a 50 cl bottle with an abv of 42%.