Brothers, Jean-Marie and Thierry Puzelat, tend their 10-hectare family estate in Les Montils (part of the Cheverny AOC). Clos du Tue-Boeuf, along with Marcel Richaud, Dard and Ribo, Yvon Metras, and a handful of others, were at the heart of the natural wine movement in mid-90s Paris. They are undoubtedly the impetus for spreading this philosophy in the Loire, which remains a hotbed of the style today. 

Menu Pineau is an historical white grape of the Touraine--in the same family with Pineau d'Aunis and its more sophisticated cousin Pineau de la Loire, aka Chenin Blanc--but is a rare bird even here in its native Loire. 

The Puzelat brothers' Le Brin de Chèvre comes mainly from old vines planted between 1937 and 1950, farmed organically with horses as the power source for all vineyard work.  This is as rustic and natural as it gets, and the cellar part of the production follows suit.  The hand-harvested grapes are partly de-stemmed and fermented spontaneously in large oak tanks.  The wine is then aged in old used barrels for nearly 9 months, with minimal lees stirring and no racking whatsoever.  Of course, it is bottled unfiltered, unfined, with minimal to no sulfur added. 

Pairing: Roast chicken and potatoes, Pork tenderloin with root vegetables

Grape: Menu Pineau

Terroir: Flint-laden clay soils with exposure to cold winds

Viticulture: Biodynamic, natural