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2022 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal Janvier

If you don’t know the appellation of Jasnières, get to know it through the wines of this talented vigneron. Jasnières will never be mainstream. It hails from a tiny, stony hillside along the Loir River (a tributary of the Loire River), north of Vouvray, and the grape grown for his whites is the Pineau de la Loire, otherwise known as Chenin Blanc.
Here you will find a different minerality (crushed flintstone?) than his other cuvées, and the fruit is more intense. Notice the crystalline texture, the lemony tang against the sweet, ripe Mirabelle fruit, the firm structure and endless aftertaste. What a talent; what a terroir! Please hide away a few bottles. I predict a masterpiece in about ten years.
—Kermit Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Coteaux du Loir |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Pascal Janvier |
Winemaker: | Pascal Janvier |
Vineyard: | 35 - 40 years, 6 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Flint, Limestone |
Aging: | Another racking takes place after fermentation, then the wines age for a few more months before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
France | Loire
Brisk red-fruited twang, some herbaceous zest, and an absolutely mouthwatering zingy finish.

2022 Jasnières
France | Loire
November Adventures Club ~ Racy, slightly honeyed, exotically perfumed, and loaded with minerality, this wine is an excellent representation of how Chenin reacts to the local conditions.

2022 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
France | Loire
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.

2022 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
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This racy wine is a perfect match for all types of crustaceans as well all by itself on a sunny afternoon.

2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
France | Loire
It might be the most unusual and most delicious top-quality sweet wine you have ever tried: a pure Chenin Blanc from a special selection of late-harvest grapes in the appellation of Jasnière.

2022 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...

2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
France | Loire
This is the Champalous’ late-harvest wine, gently sweet yet retaining the mouthwatering acidity that Chenin from the great sites of the Loire can provide.

2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
France | Loire
Pale in color with a wonderful delicacy in the mouth, the lip-smacking acidity of this rosé of Pinot Noir is utterly refreshing.

Touraine “Fines Bulles”
France | Loire
Made in the méthode traditionnelle with direct-press Cabernet Franc, it is a light, bright, and festive bubbly meant to be drunk cold and often.

2022 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
France | Loire
Exotically perfumed with hints of guava, musk, and clove, it finishes dry and quite flinty.
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
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
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2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
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2022 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2017 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
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2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
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2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
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2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2017 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
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