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2021 Savennières
Château d’ÉpiréAt the same time that it evokes honey, Meyer lemon, and stone fruit, this Chenin Blanc is brilliantly chiseled and dry, underscoring how Savennières is home to some of the greatest terroirs for this grape variety, thanks to its soils of schist, sandstone, and blue slate and its proximity to the moderating Loire River. You can’t go wrong opening it alongside grilled shrimp or pork dumplings.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Savennières |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Winemaker: | Paul Bizard |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1965-2013 (average 35 years old), 8.5 ha |
Soil: | Schist |
Aging: | Juice rests for 24 hours before being racked into stainless steel cuves for fermentation to begin |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
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2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
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This blanc is chiseled and electric and boasts notes of citrus, herbs, and stones that would beautifully complement pan-fried sea bass or shrimp tacos.
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A delicate, aromatic red in the “drink now!” vein.
2022 Chinon Blanc
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A rare Chenin Blanc from the land of Cabernet Franc. Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate simultaneously satisfied and begging for more. Try it with fresh trout, grilled whole topped with chimichurri or smoked and tossed into a Niçoise salad.
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
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At first, it is streamlined, saline, and full of lemon. Then the granite terroir kicks in...
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 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.
More from Loire or France
2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2022 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2022 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet 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