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2018 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal Janvier
When I was a kid, I loved the way cold swimming pool water smelled when splashed onto the blazing hot pavement. I would lie facedown in the puddle, inhaling the aromas of the steaming wet stone, at least until the surface started to heat up again and I’d have to do another cannonball. I don’t get a chance to do this much anymore, but I can certainly indulge in another iconic summertime practice: sipping a cool glass of Cuvée du Silex from Janvier.
I know now that the wet stone analogy would be a good way to express “minerality” and, short of eating a juicy nectarine while lying beside the pool under a honeysuckle bush, I don’t know how better to describe the flinty beauty of the Silex. This Chenin Blanc has a tart sweetness, or perhaps a sweet tartness—with neither overbearing—that epitomizes good balance and will have you greedily reaching for your glass. Don’t stay on the edge—dive in!
—Jennifer Oakes
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Coteaux du Loir |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Pascal Janvier |
Winemaker: | Pascal Janvier |
Vineyard: | 15 years, 1.4 ha |
Soil: | Clay |
Aging: | Another racking takes place after fermentation, then the wines age for a few more months before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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About The Producer
Pascal Janvier
About The Region
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 Kimmeridgian 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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2023 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
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2024 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
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2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
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2022 Chinon
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Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch