Vincent Ricard

Domaine Ricard is based at Thésée, in Loir-et-Cher, on the right bank of the Cher in the Touraine. Vincent Ricard took over the family estate from his father Alain in 1999, becoming the fifth generation of the family to run it, and moved the fruit out of the local co-operative to bottle it at the domaine. He had previously worked with Philippe Alliet in Chinon and Claude Levasseur in Montlouis.

The estate covers about 36 hectares on clay and limestone soils, 33 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc and 3 hectares of Côt, the Loire name for Malbec, within AOP Touraine and AOP Touraine Chenonceaux. It converted to organic farming in 2013 and is certified organic by Ecocert. Weeds are worked mechanically, treatments are limited to contact products against powdery and downy mildew, and roughly 85 per cent of the vines are protected from frost by towers and candles. Its white cuvées include Le Petiot, Pierre à Feu, Les Trois Chênes and Tasciaca; Le Vilain P'tit Rouge is the Côt.

Arcana Cabinet lists one wine from the estate, the 2013 Le Vilain P'tit Rouge, a Touraine red from Côt. It shows dark fruit and an earthy note, with tannins softened by bottle age. It is usually served with roast pork, charcuterie or a country terrine.