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2023 Savennières
Château d’Epiré
Chenin Blanc finds one of its most classic expressions at the venerated Château d’Épiré, whose vineyards overlooking the Loire River are widely considered to be among the grands crus of Savennières. Boasting a sublime tension, this blanc would perfectly suit many preparations of seafood.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Savennières |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Château d’Épiré |
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: | 12% |
More from this Producer or Region

2022 Chinon Blanc
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Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate begging for more.

2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
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Thierry Germain’s meticulous process coaxes out the delicate and aromatic side of Chenin Blanc—think jasmine, honeysuckle, and peach.

2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
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Consistently one of the Loire’s finest Sauvignon Blancs

2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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Even though all of the wines hail from Chinon, the soil, elevation, and exposition all combine to make Le Clos Guillot their cuvée with the most finesse.

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.

2023 Chinon Rosé
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One of the first rosés Kermit imported, this wine has been consistently delicious for four decades.

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.

2021 Saumur Champigny “Terres Chaudes”
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Thierry has perfected the art of coaxing this Cabernet Franc’s soulfulness and elusive finesse into bottle.

2020 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
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Age-worthy red from one of Chinon’s top sites, by a storied domaine.

2023 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
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Powerful, cellar-worthy dry Chenin aged in chestnut, oak, and acacia.
About The Producer
Château d’Épiré
One of the oldest and most celebrated domaines in Savennières, Chateau d’Épiré is rich in history. Savennières is situated just southwest of Angers, on the north bank of the Loire River. Vines have been cultivated there since the time of the Romans. The domaine itself has been in the Bizard family continuously since the 17th century. The most recent owners and caretakers of the land are Monsieur and Madame Luc Bizard. They own eleven hectares, nine of which are entirely dedicated to the cultivation of Pineau de la Loire, known today as Chenin Blanc. The château is exquisite, but the pièce de résistance is their winery, formerly a Romanesque chapel, which is from the 12th century. Truly a blessed wine!
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 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
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2023 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Chinon
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2023 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2023 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Chinon
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2023 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon 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