Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Domaine aux Moines 2012 Savennières-Roche aux Moines displays a golden-yellow color and an intense and concentrated but at the moment somewhat shy and diffuse nose with ripe but also nutty fruit aromas. The palate is rich and creamy, very powerful and intense, with good concentration and a long and aromatic yet slightly bitter and astringent finish. The 2012 needs another couple of years to improve, though the remaining question is if the astringency will disappear. Tasted at the domaine in May 2018.
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
Known for its delightful whites and sparkling Pétillant and Mousseux, made predominantly of Chenin blanc, Anjou has a temperate and dry maritime climate. The region's limited temperature variations are admiringly referred to locally as the “douceur angevine,” or “Anjou sweetness.” Fruit forward rosé and red wines from Cabernet Franc and Gamay merit Anjou its success within the Loire subregions.