A Loire Weekend: New arrivals from Lise et Bertrand Jousset, Domaine des Sablonnettes and Domaine Tessier
9/13/25 -
Today we're excited to offer a slew of new arrivals from some of our favorite Loire Valley estates. Back by popular demand are the wines of Lise and Bertrand Jousset (pictured above), mostly from vines in and around Montlouis-sur-Loire. We are big fans of every wine they bottle, from their exquisite sparkling wines to their complex, single parcel Chenin Blancs. Along with their estate wines, we also have some very special maceration (skin contact) wines, and a unique and impressive oxidative Chenin that was aged sous-voile for several years in the style of a Jura Vin Jaune! Domaine des Sablonnettes wines never live long on our shelves, as we only receive a small amount once or twice a year, and it seems (even with tariffs) that they haven't raised their prices in a decade! Their wines are exciting, energetic and just plain fun to drink. Domaine Tessier, now run by Simon (the son of Philippe Tessier), used to quietly produce some of the best wines in Cheverny, and the tiny Cour-Cheverny appellation (known specifically for the Romarantin grape), but it seems like the word is out now, as we get just a fraction of the quantity we used to receive at Chambers Street due to overwhelming demand for these beautiful wines.
LISE & BERTRAND JOUSSET
Lise and Bertrand, two of the nicest vignerons we have ever met, 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." The wines are made naturally with minimal or zero added SO2, with organic and biodynamic farming in the vineyards and no spoofilation in the cellar.
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, hands-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." We love these wines and we think you will too!
DOMAINE DES SABLONNETTES
Domaine des Sablonnettes is a multi-generational estate in Anjou, nestled in amongst wild forests in the Coteaux du Layon AOC. Jeremy Ménard has been running the domaine since 2015, after taking over from his parents, Christine and Joel, who are still involved with farming and day to day tasks. Jeremy is committed to making serious, terroir driven wines without using any additives, just like his parents and grandparents before him. Although the word "natural" is sometimes abused, in the case of the Ménards, the word's most positive connotations apply. All of their decisions are made after careful contemplation and in the context of their countless years of experience with their parcels and different grape varieties. They are certified organic and biodynamic, and vinify without added yeasts, sugars or other "corrections," and their use of sulfur dioxide is minimal, if they use any at all. Long before the phrase "natural wine" existed, the Ménards were making pure and beautiful natural wines, and they have always seemed happy to quietly continue doing so, without fanfare or hashtags.
DOMAINE TESSIER
The Tessier’s estate covers 26 hectares split between main islands of 5 ha or so each, nothing being more than 1 ½ miles away from the cellar. They have three main soils: a very draining terroir of sand and faluns (a young limestone rich in fossils), easy to work, sensitive to hydric stress, giving the lighter, more fruit-forward wines; some terroir with sands and a different proportion of clay and silt; and a few plots where the Cretaceous limestone is very close to the top soils, giving deeper wines. All are organically farmed, certified, since 1998 and minimal or zero SO2 is used. The surface is roughly split 50/50 between the white and the red grapes: 6.5 ha of Romorantin, 5 of Sauvignon, 1 of Chardonnay and some Menu Pineau For the red they grow 6 ha of Pinot Noir, 4.5 of Gamay, .3 ha of Pineau d’Aunis they planted 10 years ago and some Côt.
Quality at this dynamic estate seems to improve every year and we are happily taking whatever we can get our hands on, but sadly, that's only 6 to 24 btls of each wine. These will sell-out quickly so don't delay!
These are superb, soulful and refreshing wines that we love to drink - enjoy the reds and the Cheverny Blanc this spring and summer, nicely chilled, but please cellar the Romorantins if you can!!
