The story of Lamé-Delisle-Boucard begins with Pierre Guyot, who founded the domaine in 1869. Beneath the towns that flank the central Loire lies another world. It is a world of caves, dug into limestone by prior generations-folks who knew that the ideal place to nurture a bottle of wine is deep within the same earth that nourishes the vines from which it came. Given the extensive German occupation they endured in World War II (frequently accompanied by gratuitous cellar pillages), this Loire old guard also had good reason to want to protect the fruits of their labor underground, and to this day many growers with deep historical roots in the central Loire hold back significant reserves of their current releases. On our most recent trip to France, we came face to face with the region's subterranean bounty in shocking fashion. Having long treasured the memory of a 1976 Bourgueil from this domaine as one of the great wines of his career, Neal reached out to Lame-Delisle-Boucard to arrange a friendly visit. After working through some terrific recent vintages upstairs in the modest tasting room, Philippe Boucard-the fifth generation here-asked us if we wanted to see the cave... Expecting perhaps a modest handful of low tunnels, we descended into an arcing passageway large enough for a steam train to drive through, with rough-hewn ceilings damp with moisture towering above us. Along both walls were stacked countless bottles punctuated by occasional handwritten vintage markers, and even a brief glance as we wound around to an adjacent chamber suggested that this stash stretched far back into history. Once seated in what can only be described as an underground living room-complete with floor and table lamps, well-worn stools, and sturdy old tables, all adorned with tendrils of cellar scuzz-Philippe proceeded to pull corks on some truly moldy soldiers, each bottle more eye-popping than the previous: 2005, 1989, the same 1976 Neal remembered so fondly, 1964, 1959, 1947 in red, rose, and white (the result of a trade with Gaston Huet), 1928, and, finally, 1911-the oldest red wine any of us had ever had in our lives. The vibrancy and power that even the oldest vintages still possessed stunned us, and to reflect on all that had happened in the world as these bottles slumbered was overwhelmingly poignant. Philippe's maternal great-grandfather Jules Lame spent four years fighting in the First World War, sustaining nearly fatal injuries, and his grandfather Lucien Lame was taken as a prisoner of war in 1939, less than a year after marrying his wife, Yvonne Delisle. Through it all, the family tended their vines and bottled the fruits of their labor, adding each year to the living museum in which we sat and drank and talked. At the winery, the harvested grapes are received, without the addition of sulfites, in a stainless steel tank that has been previously treated with dry ice to prevent oxidation of the grape must. Vinification takes place at low temperatures, with moderate extraction, for a fermentation period of 8 days. The aim is to obtain a fruity wine with supple, rounded tannins. Racking : The racked wine is carefully collected, retaining the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation. Bottling: This takes place very early, in December 2025. The oxygen in the empty bottle is removed by a nitrogen injection system (a neutral gas) to prevent any oxidation of the wine.Shelf life : Best consumed within one year to enjoy its fruity potential.Tasting : It is recommended to expel the natural carbon dioxide from the wine (intentionally retained to protect it from oxidation).