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2018 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier
The sloping banks of the Loir, a tributary of the Loire, are home to the northernmost vineyards of the entire Loire Valley. Notwithstanding the apparent laziness of France’s River Naming Committee, this area produces fantastically undervalued Chenin Blanc that bears a unique aromatic signature. Exotically perfumed with hints of guava, musk, and clove, it finishes dry and quite flinty.
—Anthony Lynch
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: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2024 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
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This red is 100% Pineau d’Aunis, an indigenous red grape we hold dear to our collective hearts because of its mystifying aromatics and bright, juicy texture.

2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
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A delightfully lean and bright blanc from Charles Joguet that leaves me yearning to exclaim, “This smells like a green apple picked fresh from a lemon tree!”

2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
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Redolent of almonds, honey, and a wide range of citrus, this kaleidoscopic Chenin finishes with a faint tannin, making it ideal alongside sushi, roast chicken, or a hard and flavorful cheese like Comté.

2020 Sancerre Rouge "Champs d’Alligny"
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Previously blended into the domaine’s Sancerre rouge, the Champs d’Alligny is now its own bottling, a successful experiment if there ever was one.

2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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Intensely dry and mineral, the structured Les Arceaux is a bottle to pair with a meal rather than to drink as an apéritif.

2022 Chinon Blanc
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2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
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2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
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2024 Jasnières
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Racy, slightly honeyed, exotically perfumed, and loaded with minerality, this wine is an excellent representation of how Chenin reacts to the local conditions.

2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
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Given light treatment in the cellar, this wine shows off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form.
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.
More from Loire or France
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
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2024 Bourgueil Rosé
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2016 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
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2023 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
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2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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2023 Sancerre Rouge
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2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
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2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
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2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
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2017 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
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2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
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2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
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2024 Bourgueil Rosé
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2016 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2023 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2017 Jasnières “Chant de Vigne”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
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