Jousset, Grandes Vignes, and Belliviere: A Loire Valley Smorgasbord!
1/7/2025
Is something amiss at Chambers Street Wines? We're into the first full week of the new year, and have yet to send out a Loire Valley e-mail blast! Don't worry, we never forget our roots (in more ways than one!) - and we have a nice grab-bag of Loire whites, reds and bubbles to share, with more to come throughout the month and the rest of 2025. The spotlight today is on the wines from Lise and Bertrand Jousset in Montlouis, Les Grandes Vignes in Anjou, and Domaine de Belliviere in Coteaux du Loir/Jasnières. Though Chenin Blanc features prominently, there are some intriguing whites like the Groslot Blanc (not a Blanc de Noirs of Grolleau, but a very rare white variety), reds from classic Loire varieties like Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Pineau D'Aunis, plus the tasty 'Resiste' red that the Joussets make from southern French grapes, and several sparkling wines to round things out.
Lise and 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!
Les Grandes Vignes
Les Grandes Vignes is a Biodynamic estate in the Loire Valley run by Jean-Francois Vaillant (pictured in our header image). The domaine was established by the Vaillant family in the 17th century, and has continued as a family estate to this day. All of their vines are farmed without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or insecticides, and are certified organic and Biodynamic. It’s a lot of work, but they have a big family, and a trusted team of vineyard workers whom they employ year round. Herbs and perennials are planted annually, along with hedges and bushes. Treatments in the vineyard include various biodynamic preparations, tisanes (herbal teas), manure, and compost, with plant infusions and small amounts of copper and sulfur used to prevent mildew. Pruning and plowing are planned in accord with the lunar cycle.
Over the years as we have tasted with Jean-Francois and his team, every question we've had about the work in the vineyard and cellar was met with enthusiastic explanations of Biodynamic treatments, cover crops, and pied-de-cuves (to ensure favorable yeasts for their no-sulfur wines). Here is a family proud of their hard work, and due to their large acreage (and generations of history in the region), able to offer a slew of great wines at fantastic prices! Soils at the domaine range from grey and green schist, phtanite, quartz, and ‘falun coquillé,’ to various gravelly and sandy types. Most of the wines spend between 6 and 12 months in barrels and tanks, with a stock of over 300 barrels on hand to ensure optimum vinification and ageing. Red wines are bottled without filtration or added sulfur, while whites usually see a tiny addition of sulfur at bottling.
Domaine de Bellivière
The Nicolas Family in Jasniéres makes some of the most extraordinary wines of the Loire Valley, at the same level of quality and purity as those of Richard Leroy and Marc Angeli. Of course Jasnières is a bit further north and east and the bedrock is limestone, but the Domaine de Bellivière Chenin Blancs and Pineau D'Aunis, vinified first by Eric and Christine and now by Clément and Laure-Anne, possess a crystalline elegance that is unique and marvelous. 2022 brought sunshine and ripeness to the wines - they are more voluptuous and aromatic than the 2021s and will drink beautifully young, while aging gracefully for many years as well. We opened their 2005 Jasnières "Calligramme" a few days ago - from a somewhat similar vintage - it's absolutely singing and still youthful! We're happy to offer the 2022 Coteaux du Loir "Vieilles Vignes Eparses," always one of the greatest Loire Chenins, along with the lovely Jasnières "Les Rosiers" and the superb Pineau D'Aunis "Rouge Gorge" with it's brilliant melange of dark fruit, spice and mineral flavors. Quantities are very small...
