Varietal Voyage No.5 – 2006 Domaine des Roche Neuves "L’Insolite"

2 Nov, 2009

As you can probably tell by the name, this next chenin blanc is from France. Like the Sauvignon Blanc sampled for VV3, this wine is also from the Loire Valley, specifically the Saumur AOC. This too was recommended by Ben Christiansen at the Waterford Wine Company.

Situated on the south or “left” bank of the Loire River, Saumer lies between Angers and Tours. About 3 miles southwest is the village of Varrains. This is where you’ll find the vineyards of Domaine des Roche Neuves. This area of the Loire is laced with sandstone, flint and aluvial silts. The same tuffeau limestone used to build the historic castles and châteaux also plays a critical role in the quality and style of the wines in this region.

L’Insolite, which translates to “out of the ordinary,” is a dry Chenin Blanc. In a region that excels at making off-dry and sweet chenin blancs this is truly unusual. In 1996 the proprietor of Domain des Roche Neuves, Thierry Germain, purchased a small plot of very old vines (now over 80 years old) and began produding a dry chenin blanc. Here they follow strict biodynamic farming methods to preserve as much of the natural fruit character (and the environment) as possible and maximize the expression of terroir. When the grapes are harvested the juice is fermented in oak tanks and then allowed to rest on its lees in several different types of oak barrels. The winemakers use this combination of terroir, yeasts and oak to give us a complex and unique wine.

I will have to admit that this was one of the more difficult wines to get our heads wrapped around. There were a lot of things going on in this wine that we didn’t expect! L’Insolite had a much richer yellow color than the South African Chenin Blanc (See VV4). Rich herbal aromas combined with those of citrus, pears, and apricots. Nuts and minerals intertwined with the light flavors of herbs and citrus. The oak fermentation and aging was evidenced by the nutty, vanilla undercurrents that lingered through the finish.

This wine was fantastic! Thanks Ben!

2006 Domaine des Roche Neuves “L’Insolite” ($30)

100% Chenin Blanc
Varrains, France (Saumur AOC, Loire Valley)
Importer’s Information Sheet

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Tagged Chenin Blanc, France, Loire, Varrains

Varietal Voyage No.3 – 2007 Domaine Claude Riffault "Les Boucauds"

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17 Oct, 2009

Jeff

Varietal Voyage

Our third wine on the Varietal Voyage brings us to France, specifically Sancerre at the western end of the Loire Valley. This wine was recommended by our favorite wine merchant, Ben Christiansen, the owner of the Waterford Wine Company in Milwaukee.

From the Atlantic coast to the mountains of central France, the Loire Valley runs east to west for some six hundred miles. The Loire is France’s third largest appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) and the top producer of white wine. This is the definitive home of Sauvignon Blanc.

Sancerre is one of the most well-known wine regions in the Loire. The village of Sancerre is surrounded by several wine producing communes such as Sury-en-Vaux, the source of this week’s wine. Domaine Claude Riffault grows their sauvignon blanc on the limestone hillsides of Sury-en-Vaux, northwest of Sancerre proper. The cool continental climate combined with the chalky, flinty soils make this area ideal for fresh, fruity Sauvignon Blancs. The grapes are hand picked and fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve the freshness and fruitful character.

Of the three Sauvignon Blancs we tasted, Sue and I agree that this was our favorite. The light straw color was a little darker than the previous two wines we sampled. The grassy, herbal aromas accompanied flavors of fresh citrus and nectarines. A pleasant mineral quality tied everything together. Well balanced acidity, and herbal notes carried on through to a clean finish. This wine should pair wonderfully with seafood. We tried it with steamed mussels and found the mineral qualities of the wine and the shellfish to be a good match.

This wine was a great finish to this leg of the journey. We now head off into the world of chenin blancs to explore what this varietal has to offer.

2007 Domaine Claude Riffault “Les Boucauds” ($26)