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2021 Val de Loire Rosé “Sans Prise de Tête”
Éric Chevalier

Eric’s latest cuvée, a cranberry-orange tinted Cabernet Franc rosé, is a mouthwatering homage to the carefree moments in life. I get blood orange and clove on the palate—surprisingly complex notes for a wine whose name means “nothing serious.” With that moniker, I believe he has undersold what we have here!
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | Rosé |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Vin de Pays du Val de Loire |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Éric Chevalier |
Winemaker: | Éric Chevalier |
Vineyard: | 15 years average |
Soil: | Metamorphic rock |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 11.5% |
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2021 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
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Crafted less than 20 miles from the Atlantic coast, this exquisite Muscadet is a perfect reflection of where it originates, as if it’s been sculpted by winds off the ocean and infused with hints of sea salt in the air.

2020 Chinon
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This cuvée comes from their highest vineyard, which rests on a plateau of gravel, sand, and limestone, and it is arguably their best entry point into the charm of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, lithe and less dense than the bottlings from their clay-and-limestone terroirs.

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2021 Quincy
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About The Producer
Éric Chevalier
Éric Chevalier is a rising star in the Nantais of the Loire Valley. For ten years, he sourced fruit for a large négociant in the Touraine. In 2005, he returned to his hometown of Saint-Philbert de Grandlieu and ended up taking over the family domaine, Domaine de l’Aujardière. His father, a talented vigneron well-known as a high-quality source of bulk wine, had stopped working the vineyards and the vines were going to have to be pulled up and replanted or sold. Éric was anything but enthusiastic. Little by little his passion grew, and today he is proud to be the 4th generation to farm the domaine. Éric sustainably farms 25 hectares of vines, producing wines of great character and finesse. He found his future in his family’s past.
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
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2021 Sancerre Rouge
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2018 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
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2017 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
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2021 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
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2022 Cheverny
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2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
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2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
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2017 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
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2022 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2016 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2018 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2017 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
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2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
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2017 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171