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We're happy to feature new arrivals from Lise and Bertrand Jousset, two of the nicest vignerons we have ever met, who make beautiful wines of nature from their 11 hectares in and around Montlouis-sur-Loir. Primarily working with Chenin Blanc in Montlouis, they also grow Gamay, Grolleau and Chardonnay on parcels in Touraine.The vines are between 30 and 130 years old, with even some franc de pieds! Their approach is simple: "We want to make wines that express their character and their origins - in other words 'living wines.' For this we need living soils with great microbial activity and living vineyards with a balanced animal and vegetal life in our parcels."
Featured today are five Chenins from Montlouis-sur-Loire, including the rare and beautiful 2017 "Singulier - Clos aux Renards" from old vines in clay soils called "Aubuis" over Turonian limestone, certainly one of the most elegant Chenins of the Loire. Tasted in January 2020, the 2018 "Trait d'Union" was particularly delicious, with great length and minerality and is the only wine that is off-dry at about 28 gr/l RS.
And now for an orange wine - the 2019 "Maceration de Menu Pineau!" Here, the Joussets take the unique Menu Pineau grape and let it sit with the skins for 9 weeks. The wine is then aged 11 months in barrel and an additional 2 months in tank. This is a fascinating wine, with notes of bergamot, burnt orange, eucalyptus and black tea. A touch of pleasant fruit and acidity provide balance, and the palate has fine tannins and structure. No sulfites added!
Beautiful Bubbles! Lise and Bertrand make delightful sparkling wines - Featured today is the seriously delicious 2020 Montlouis "Bubulle," the finely chiseled palate is rich and elegant with hints of dried pear, apple and anise over a core of saline minerals with terrific length. This is a thirst-quenching Pet-Nat, made without sulfur, that happens to be a serious and elegant wine! And the fun-loving 2019 Exilé Brut Rosé - dry, delicate and delicious, with a little extra density in 2019, showing subtle aromas of raspberry, strawberry, rose and citrus. The palate is light and creamy with subtle red fruits, citrus and mineral flavors that continue in the long, clean finish. Really delightful and very affordable, too - thanks to Lise and Bertrand Jousset!
The Jousset's's wines all possess a wonderful purity and vivacity due to the character transmitted through the living soils of their vineyards and to the precise, hand-off vinifications with minimal or zero added sulfur. Lise and Bertrand have a wonderful attitude and sense of humor towards their wines and their role as winemakers - "As a glass with friends or a companion at table, wine is meant to be drunk and shared - it's up to us to make wines for these moments." Be sure to visit their bar-a-vins éphémére when in the Loire - 36 rue des Bouvineries, 37270 Montlouis-sur-Loire Tel : 0247507033. Wines arrive Tuesday, July 18.
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2019 Montlouis-sur-Loire Premier Rendez-Vous
Chenin Blanc from two terroirs in Montlouis - 40 year-old vines on sand and silex soils over limestone and 70 year-old vines on clay/limestone soils, yields of 30 hl/ha, aged in 2 to 8 year-old large barrels. The 2019 Premier Rendez-Vous is a beautiful wine. Pale gold color; the aromas are very floral - iris and lime flower with pear, peach, apricot and citrus; the palate is silky and textured with chalky minerals beneath ripe white fruits and citrus peel; the finish is long and tart with refreshing lemony acidity. A delightful wine that is delicious now and will drink beautifully over the next five to eight years.
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2017 Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos Renards - Singulier
The 2017 "Singulier - Clos aux Renards" is a brilliant dry Montlouis and certainly one of the finest dry Chenins of the Loire, made from 60 to 80 year-old Chenin vines on clay soils called "Aubuis" over Turonian limestone. All cellar functions are by gravity without pumping, fermentation is in two and three year-old 400 and 600 liter barrels. (The Joussets have banned all mechanization from this beautiful vineyard since 2015 - only people, horses and wheelbarrows allowed!) Best if decanted two hours in advance, the wine shows complex mineral infused aromas of citrus, pear, lime-flower and honey. The palate is lean and mineral with white fruits, racy citrus flavors and fresh herbs framed in saline acids. Serve this crystalline Montlouis with shellfish, scallops, foie gras, chicken with cream sauce and aged cheeses.
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2016 Montlouis-sur-Loire 1er RV "Version Longue" Mag
Lise & Bertrand's 'Version Longue' is sourced from the same two terroirs in Montlouis as the Chenin Blanc for their regular 1er Rendez-Vous but with an extra year of elevage in large used barrels. Vines are a mix of 40 and 70 years old; soils are a combination of sand, silex, and clay over limestone. The 2016 is very bright, deep and mineral, with persistent fruits of dried calimyrna figs, husky green pear skin, wildflower honey, and ripe Meyer lemon throughout. The palate is ripe and full with a high and persistent acidity that keeps the wine feeling fresh and supple into a lengthy finish. Harmonious and elegant now, this will develop deliciously in the cellar for another 5 to 10 years.
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2018 Montlouis-sur-Loire Trait d'Union
The 2018 Trait d'Union is a wonderful demi-sec Chenin from our friends Lise and Bertrand Jousset in Montlouis. The vines are 60 to 80 years old, on sand and silex soils over limestone giving yields of 20 to 25 hl/ha. Wild yeast fermentation, aging in 1 to 8 year-old barriques. The wine is a lovely pale gold/bronze color with aromas of earth, lemon, honey, brown spice, lime-flower and ripe pear. The palate is round, ripe and delicate with saline mineral flavors blending with lemon compote, white fruits and stone. Dense but light on its feet, this is a beautiful accompaniment to fois gras or pâtés, scallops, veal stew and goat cheeses.
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2020 Montlouis-sur-Loire Bubulle Pet Nat
Simply put, the Jousset's 2020 "Bubulle" is top-shelf Pét-Nat for a picnic-friendly price. From organically farmed Chenin vines (45 years of age on average) in Montlouis-sur-Loire in soils of sand and silex over limestone. All cellar operations are by gravity, without pumping, the fermentation is in 3 to 6 year-old barriques of 225 and 400 liters. The wine is vibrant straw yellow and adorned with a fine mousse. The nose reveals aromas of ripe pear, Granny Smith, lime flower, creamy lemon with heather honey and stone. A finely chiseled palate is rich and elegant with hints of dried pear, apple and anise over a core of saline minerals with terrific length. This is a thirst-quenching Pet-Nat, made without sulfur, that happens to be a serious and elegant wine!
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2019 Vin de France Menu Pineau
The Lise and Betrand Jousset 2019 Menu Pineau (aka Arbois or Orbois) is a balanced and beautiful expession of this unusual grape, complete with enigmatic label by Michel Tolmer. A probable native of the Loire, similar to Meslier according to some and sharing some characteristics with Savagnin, the grape has generally low acidity but quite distinctive sharp aromas and flavors of bitter citrus, dried herbs, caramel, dried white fruits and white flowers. This 2019 version is not a maceration, but a more straightforward expression of the grape as noted above with a hint of oxidation and a long stony, citrusy finish. Great with halibut with garlic and dill, perfect with a grilled fish or spicy ceviche. Lovely wine! David Lillie
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2019 Vin de France Maceration Menu Pineau
This is Lise and Bertrand's foray into the 'orange wine' (skin contact) category. Here, they take the obscure Menu Pineau grape and let it sit with the skins for 9 weeks. The wine is then aged 11 months in barrel and an additional 2 months in tank. This is a fascinating wine, with notes of bergamot, burnt orange, eucalyptus and black tea. A touch of pleasant fruit and acidity provide balance, and the palate has fine tannins and structure. No sulfites added!
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2019 Vin de France Exile Blanc
Typically made from organic grapes that Lise and Bertrand source from the Loire Valley, this vintage of the Exilé blanc is the result of a literal backpacking/grape harvesting mission that Bertrand went on in 2016, when the vines in the Loire were hit hard by frost and hail in the summer. The Colombard they found on that trip continues to please in the 2020 version, combined with Chenin Blanc from their vineyards in Touraine. There's a density and marked minerality that the Chenin blanc provides, with mid-palate weight and roundness of the Colombard. It's crisp at first, then becomes rounder, with notes of white and yellow fruits and citrus. A unique and delicious wine!
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2019 Vin de France Exilé Brut Rose
This lovely Petillant Naturel is made from purchased, organically-grown fruit. It's 100% Gamay from 40 year-old vines on clay/limestone soils and 100% dry, delicate and delicious, with a little extra density in 2019, showing subtle aromas of raspberry, strawberry, rose and citrus. The palate is light and creamy with subtle red fruits, citrus and mineral flavors that continue in the long, clean finish. Really delightful and very affordable, too - thanks to Lise and Bertrand Jousset!
Jousset, Lise et Bertrand 2019 Vin de France Resiste (Carignan)
The 2019 Resiste is a delicious pure Carignan from organic/biodynamic farming at Domaine Ledogar in Corbieres. The wine is ripe and supple with flavors of cassis and blackberry with hints of coffee, "smooth and easy" says Eben.