Winemaker Notes
Certified organic. 100% Chenin Blanc (Massale selection). From three lieux-dits in Mont-Louis: “Les Borderies”, “Le Grand Clos”, “Bel Air”. Oldest vines of the estate (90+ years old). High density plantings on south facing slopes. Dense Clay and silex stones before you hit pure chalk. Indigenous yeast. Fermented and aged in older 500L barrels for 10 months.
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.
On the south bank of the Loire River, below Vouvray, Montlouis produces all styles of Chenin blanc from bone dry, off-dry, sweet, oak aged and even the sparkling Montlouis Mousseux and Montlouis Pétillant Naturel. Soils here are lighter and sandier compared to Vouvray.