Notify me
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier
Do yourself a favor and give this gem a taste. It might be the most unusual, most delicious, and least expensive top-quality sweet wine you have ever tried. A pure Chenin Blanc, hand picked from a special selection of late-harvest grapes in the tiny appellation of Jasnières, this cuvée was made in miniscule quantities. It showcases an awesome combination of smooth, pure, decadent Chenin fruit and super-complex terroir—smoke, peat, exotic spices, and volcanic stoniness. Serve it as dessert, in and of itself, or as a palate-stimulating apéritif. We in the U.S. haven’t acquired the French habit of serving a sweet wine to start the evening, but it is worth a try. It works, especially with a knockout winner like this.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Jasnières |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Pascal Janvier |
Vineyard: | 35-40 years |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
France | Loire
This racy wine is a perfect match for all types of crustaceans as well all by itself on a sunny afternoon.

2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Réserve”
France | Loire
When you smell it, keep in mind that no other wine, besides a Melon de Bourgogne grown in the gabbro soil of Gorges, could possibly smell like this one does.

2023 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
France | Loire
At first, it is streamlined, saline, and full of lemon. Then the granite terroir kicks in...

2023 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
France | Loire
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.

2023 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
France | Loire
Exotically perfumed with hints of guava, musk, and clove, it finishes dry and quite flinty.

2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
France | Loire
Gorges boasts an incredible texture and tension imparted by decomposed, blue-green igneous rock, seventy-year-old vines, and years-long aging on the lees.

2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
France | Loire
This sparkling wine has decadently rich, honeyed fruit and a nice dollop of buttery brioche.

2023 Jasnières
France | Loire
Racy, slightly honeyed, exotically perfumed, and loaded with minerality, this wine is an excellent representation of how Chenin reacts to the local conditions.

2023 Vouvray
France | Loire
Gentle and refreshing on the palate, it boasts a delightful balance of stony minerality with luscious, almost honeyed fruit and flowery notes.

2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
France | Loire
It fills the mouth with suspicions of honeysuckle and pulpy stone fruits, all while maintaining classic notes of iodine and sea breeze that make this the vinous equivalent of tidepooling.
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 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
2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2023 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “Les Fondraux”
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
Loire Valley Wine Route Sampler
12-Bottle Sampler France | Loire
Sampler Includes:
2023 Vin de France Brut “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?” • Catherine & Pierre Breton $25.00
2023 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte” • Eric Chevalier $22.00
2023 Quincy • Domaine Trotereau $27.00
2023 Vouvray • Champalou $28.00
2023 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes” • Régis Minet $34.00
2023 Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé • Domaine de Reuilly $24.00
2023 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes” • Domaine de la Chanteleuserie $18.00
2023 Chinon “Les Granges” • Bernard Baudry $27.00
2023 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau • Catherine & Pierre Breton $29.00
2023 Sancerre Rouge • Daniel Chotard $40.00
2022 Saumur Champigny “Terres Chaudes” • Domaine des Roches Neuves $42.00
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray” • Grange Saint Sauveur $49.00
Normally $363.00
SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $269.00
(a 25% discount)
2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2015 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2023 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “Les Fondraux”
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
Loire Valley Wine Route Sampler
A glimpse into the quintessential vigneron lifestyle of the Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2015 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
Domaine du Salvard 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