Restigne natural-wine icons farming 11 hectares biodynamically since 1990, with low-sulphur Cabernet Franc Bourgueils that helped define the Loire natural-wine movement.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment in Restigne
Signature wines: breton-trinch, breton-clos-senechal, breton-les-perrieres
Tip: Trinch! (chinkers!) is the entry-level low-sulphur Bourgueil; Les Perrieres is the old-vine tuffeau-plateau cuvee.
Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil estate of 20 hectares, organic since 2007, with parcel-bottled Cabernet Francs across both appellations.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Bourgueil domaine
Signature wines: amirault-la-petite-cave, amirault-la-source, amirault-les-malgagnes
Tip: Les Malgagnes in Saint-Nicolas and La Petite Cave in Bourgueil are the long-ageing flagships.
Restigne family estate going back 14 generations, 38 hectares of Demeter-certified biodynamic Cabernet Franc with extensive parcel-bottling and a maze of tuffeau cellars.
Tasting: Visits and tastings at the cellar; underground tuffeau cave open to visitors
Signature wines: chevalerie-galichets, chevalerie-chevalerie, chevalerie-busardieres
Tip: The cellars house bottles dating back more than a century; book a vertical tasting of the Galichets cuvee.
Reference Bourgueil grower founded by Pierre-Jacques Druet in 1980, with parcel-bottled cuvees from Grand Mont, Beauvais and Vaumoreau aged in demi-muids for 24+ months.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Benais cellar
Signature wines: druet-grand-mont, druet-beauvais, druet-vaumoreau
Tip: Druet wines need cellar age: Grand Mont after 10 years is one of the Loire's quiet old-bottle bargains.
The Fete des Vins de Bourgueil is the appellation's headline annual gathering, held on 15 August in the Bourgueil town centre since 1977. Several dozen Cabernet Franc producers from Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil pour the new and library releases alongside the Touraine wine brotherhood.
Tip: Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil are separate appellations on adjacent gravel terraces; taste both side by side at the fete and decide which Cabernet-Franc profile suits your palate.