Benoît Courault farms his small estate in Faye-d’Anjou in the Anjou region with an entirely artisanal approach, working organically from the very start in 2006. A former market gardener, he was inspired by the likes of Mark Angeli to follow a path of minimal intervention, eschewing synthetic treatments and chemical inputs in both vineyard and cellar. The estate’s vineyards are home to old Chenin Blanc and Grolleau planted on schist, quartz, and clay, producing wines that are textural, pure, and profoundly expressive of their terroir. In the cellar, fermentations occur naturally with indigenous yeasts, and sulphur use is kept to a bare minimum, resulting in vivid, characterful bottlings that have become cult favourites.
Empreintes Chenin 2024 is a pure expression of Chenin Blanc from older vines, offering aromas of orchard fruit, quince, and white flowers with a hint of honeycomb. The palate has weight and structure, balanced by taut acidity and a long mineral finish. The grapes are hand harvested at optimal ripeness and sorted in the vineyard. Whole bunch pressing is carried out slowly, with the juice settled by gravity before being transferred to old barrels for fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The wine then matures on its lees for around 10 months without bâtonnage, before bottling unfined, unfiltered, and with a touch of sulphur.
Producer Benoît Courault
Origin Faye d’Anjou, Loire, France
Grapes 100% Chenin Blanc
Vintage 2024
Alcohol 13%
Style Textured, mineral, precise
Bottle size 75cl
Winemaking Hand harvest, whole bunch press, gravity settling, native yeast fermentation in old barrels, maturation on lees, bottled unfined and unfiltered
Notes Certified organic, low sulphur, biodiversity-focused farming
UNITED KINGDOM
All orders are shipped with DPD. Estimated delivery is 1–3 working days from the time of processing.
· Orders placed Mon–Fri before 12pm are processed the same day.
· On delivery day, you’ll receive a text message with a 1-hour delivery window.
England, Wales & Scotland (delivery Mon–Sat):
· £7.99 for orders under £80
· £5.99 for orders over £80
· FREE for orders over £120
Northern Ireland, Scottish Highlands & Islands* (delivery Mon–Fri):
· £9.99 for orders under £150
· FREE for orders over £150
*Applies to postcodes: AB31–AB38, AB40–AB56, IV1–IV63, HS, KW1–KW17, PA20–PA38, PA41–PA49, PA60–PA78, PH4–PH44, PH49–PH50, BT, ZE, IM (Isle of Man), Channel Islands.
EUROPE
We currently ship to: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.
· All European orders ship via UPS Express Delivery
· Estimated delivery: 3–8 working days
· Flat fee: £18.99 per order (any size/weight)
· Free shipping is not available for these destinations
⚠️ Note for international customers: We do not charge UK VAT. However, you may need to pay local customs and handling fees (typically ~20%) depending on your country’s regulations.
Spain & France: At the moment, we cannot ship directly due to excessive customs charges. If you’re based there, please contact us via email or webchat and we’ll be happy to explore options with you.
We are unable to ship to Sweden or Finland due to internal regulations.
USA, CANADA, ASIA, AUSTRALIA
We regularly ship to these destinations, but due to fluctuating courier rates, we cannot offer fixed prices.
Please contact us for a personalised shipping quote.
If your country isn’t listed above, get in touch, we’ll be happy to check feasibility and provide a quote if possible.
Packaging
We only use sustainable, recycled and recyclable packaging designed to protect your bottles.
Whenever possible, we reuse sturdy packaging, reducing environmental impact and keeping unnecessary costs down, so the wines remain the focus.
Large deliveries
In some cases, large deliveries will be sent out with a wine courier and delivery time might vary. Please get in touch for more info.
