Producer Bainbridge And Cathcart

FRANCE, LOIRE

Toby Bainbridge knows his wife Julie Cathcart on his family's farm in Oklahoma when she was still studying agriculture. After a few years the couple moved to France, in the Valley in the Loire where Toby starts working for artisanal / organic producers before buying his 8.5 hectares (two of which still not productive) to cultivate Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Chenin Blanc. Toby has a strong inclination to biodynamic and therefore protects the soil, wildlife and the environment. His goal in Chavagnes les Eaux is to make the wine more expressive, without artifice. Only wine, classified as Vin de France. When I went to see him last February, Toby was finishing fermentation on his "Rouge aux Leves ”, wrapping the stainless steel tanks in wool blankets. "This was my grandmother's favorite," she said while pointing out one - we're pretty primitive here ... why? What need is there for all those imaginative techniques or all those expensive equipment if it turns out that makeup can hide behind a old wool blanket? " Toby and Julie's wines are clean, lively, delicious. They bottle them in transparent glass, with a simple crown cap, no cork and are made to be drunk immediately.