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2017 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau

Catherine & Pierre Breton
Discount Eligible $26.00
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Catherine and Pierre Breton like to party, and their wines make it easy to party: just one sip feels like an invitation to forget pressing matters and boogie down. Lively, fruit-driven cuveés such as Trinch!, La Dilettante, and Les Galichets have always captured the bon-vivant spirit of these friendly vignerons, but now for the first time ever, we are introducing a new bottling that, dare I say, boosts the boogie factor completely through the roof.
     This new wine in the Breton book is a pure old-vine Grolleau from soils of clay and silex. The result of a carbonic maceration in wooden vats, it clocks in at a mere 10.4% alcohol, and shows its best with a slight chill. Expect hints of pepper, tomato leaf, earth, and an explosion of juicy red fruit like raspberry and cherry, plus other little berries that burst under the tooth with brightly flavored nectar. We expect it to go fast, so don’t miss out on this novelty from our friends in the Loire: drink it frequently, in large quantity, and of course, don’t forget to quaff responsibly.

Anthony Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2017
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Grolleau
Appellation: Val de Loire
Country: France
Region: Loire
Producer: Catherine & Pierre Breton
Winemaker: Catherine & Pierre Breton
Vineyard: 60 years, .8 ha
Soil: Clay, Limestone, Silex
Aging: Carbonic maceration for 3 weeks in an open-top wood vat, wine is bottled in the April following the harvest
Farming: Biodynamic (certified)
Alcohol: 11%

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About The Region

Loire

map of Loire

The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?

Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.

Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.

Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.

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Inspiring Thirst

A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!

Inspiring Thirst, page 117