T H E L O I R E I N F O U R P A R T S
From West to East, across styles:
I /
Éric Chevalier, “Le Clos de La Butte” 2021
in L’Aujardière, Pays Nantais, Loire (FR)
100% Melon de Bourgogne, from the western end of the Loire, long dogged by its ocean (not so far, in an Atlantic sense) of cheap Melon cash-cropped to be sold in bulk the world over for acidified, nauseating accompaniment for oysters. Like any good thing, Muscadet has been a victim of its own success and perhaps the clarity of its story: one grape, the cold sea-churn that-a-way, local wine to go with local fare harvested just offshore. Think of Beaujolais Nouveau: Gamay->cellar->bottle. Such an easy concept and its beautiful simplicity prove easy to exploit, unfortunately. But this makes it all the better to finally find The Real Thing – the first time you taste a Beaujolais not carbonically macerated to oblivion or sulfured to sleep; and indeed the first time you taste organic Melon liberated via natural fermentation to its salty and surprisingly tropical apex, you will remember it. Éric Chevalier is a fourth-generation winemaker working south of the Loire in a small village within the broader Pays Nantais (tr.: country places around the city of Nantes), where he and his family organically cultivate ~25 hectares of fruit across a broader, polycultural farm. The vast majority of the vines is dedicated to the humble Melon de Bourgogne, a several-century-old transplant from its original home in eastern Bourgogne (ergo the name) that has, over the years, adapted to its maritime environment. This is a slightly aged (2021), superb example of Melon in southern Muscadet – flinty, salty, mineral with surprisingly floral elements trading with tropical fruit and the bracing acidity of its serpentine soil’s provenance will wash down the plate of fruits de mer sat in front of you.
II/
Julie & Toby Bainbridge, “Cuvée Crush” 2023
in Chavagnes-les-Eaux, Anjou, Loire (FR)
A classic in our wine education here at Thirst, this perennial offering from Julie & Toby Bainbridge is what it purports to be: a wine filled with the refreshment of something as freshly made as being at ‘crush’ aka when the grapes arrive at the winery and are pressed to barrel. Purity with low alcohol – a kind of Anjou Nouveau. Which is where we are: Anjou, the western end of the Loire Valley just a bit farther inland (east) from Muscadet, still in the colder environs of northwest France. 100% Grolleau, a variety made infamous by the bulk-produced semi-sweet Rosé d’Anjou of yesteryear, this is Grolleau at its ‘glou glou’ finest. A grape that has excellent fruit character with earthy, brambly tones and a cinched finish which inspires reaching for another glass – this is the object example of what first opened our eyes to ‘a chillable red’ outside of, say, Beaujolais many moons ago. A short maceration, pressed, spontaneous fermentation and aging in fiberglass and bottled unfined, unfiltered, minimal sulfuring – again, it's a pure Grolleau, categorical for form. And is from a producer who have long produced fine natural wines of Anjou – Julie (from America) & Toby (from England) originally met and fell in love while Toby was working stateside before moving together to Anjou some 20 years ago. Farmer-first, the wines are truly made in the vineyards – Toby is as proud of his John Deere collection as he is of the cellar where the wines are made. Part of his CV also took him to Domaine Mosse where he worked as the winemaker for years before the eponymous project in Chavagnes. And now they are standard-bearers of honestly made, always well-priced and precise natural wines of this favored corner of the Loire (part of their lore: their first wine sale was their entire production to NOMA after a chance tasting with the head somm there after the couple’s first vintage – a pretty good endorsement of the wines!).
III/
Marc Plouzeau, “Vive Le Chenin!” 2022
in Chinon, Loire (FR)
From the mid-Loire, we have the more rarely seen Chinon Blanc aka Chenin Blanc from the village of Chinon (moreso known for Cabernet Franc produced under the name ‘Chinon’) – confusing! But fear not – the wine is clear and pretty, precise and fresh. From Marc Plouzeau, who took over for his father at Château de La Bonnelière, a very old Château in Chinon owned by the Plouzeau family since 1846 and not producing wine until the 1970s, this is a delicious entry level Chenin that carries a touch more body and fruit than an Anjou rendition but not as much as, say, Vouvray. It is a categorical example of a Loire Chenin – i.e. it really feels properly “middle,” composed of elements seen in Chenins grown all over the famous old valley. The vines here were planted about 30 years ago and have been organically cultivated for the entirety of their lives. Clay over limestone soils on the left bank of the Vienne (a tributary of the Loire). An everyday Chenin, as flexible and friendly as they come. Stainless steel for spontaneous fermentation and aging, unfined, unfiltered, minimal SO2.
IV/
Domaine de La Chevalerie, “Diptyque” 2020
in Restigné, Bourgeuil, Loire (FR)
Perhaps the greatest perennial value in French Wine, the beautiful Cabernet Francs from Domaine de La Chevalerie, located in Bourgeuil and for many decades practicing some of the best biodynamic farming in the valley. Their entry level Diptyque is a standard-bearer for delightful, pure Cabernet Franc meant for daily consumption. Every bit of lift and acidity you could want from Cabernet Franc with the trademark pigmented look in the glass foretelling the earthy underbelly of the wine, what makes it bistro or burger worthy. For a great read on the domaine, you can look at the blog entry on Pascaline Lepeltier’s site – a deep-dive into all things Chevalerie. For another note on the remarkable project that is the Domaine, take the stories from the winemaking family themselves, talking about riding bikes and chasing one another through the family’s underground cellar which is actually a giant (miles long) limestone cave, where all the wines spontaneously ferment and age – essentially underneath the literal vineyard from which the fruit was harvested. There is the feel of an elemental, old-old-old (pre-industrial) endeavor being sustained at the Domaine. Bourgeuil as it might have tasted centuries ago. And this, their latest release entry-level Cabernet Franc, is from biodynamically farmed vines on sandy/gravelly soils very close to the Loire itself and is aged in neutral barrel for a minimum of 3 years before bottling and even more time in bottle before release. Insane value; forever one of the shop’s favorites.
