7/24/25 - 

If you've started to have Chambers Street withdrawal after one week with no Loire Valley emails, please rest assured, we have what you need today! We might not get above $30 a bottle with most of today's offer, but we will OVER-deliver when it comes to value with pure and delicious Loire juice, from some old-school favorites and newfound estates, mostly based around the Anjou appellation in the western part of the greater Loire Valley wine region. The crux of this email was new arrivals from our friend Philippe Delmée, but we figured it made sense to add in wines from some of his Anjou neighbors, Margot and Natalia, and we've tossed in extra-special bottlings from Domaine des Grandes Vignes (at very special low prices for the last case or less of certain bottlings). We even trudged along the Loire far east enough to include a Saumur Blanc (100% Chenin Blanc) that we were thoroughly impressed with when we recently met and tasted with the winemaker in New York. 

Philippe Delmée
 
A math teacher in his former life, Philippe Delmée became interested in wine in the early 2000's, and after studying for 2 years began commuting from Brittany to Angers. He worked with Benoit Courault and at Domaine des Griottes before eventually making his start with one hectare (about 2 acres) that Courault helped him find in Faye D'Anjou. Working about 6 hectares total, spread over multiple small vineyard parcels, Philippe's approach has always been low-intervention, with the use of only copper and small amounts of sulfur in the vineyard along with biodynamic and plant-based treatments. Most of his wines are started with a "pied de cuve," which is a small batch of wine that is introduced to a larger vat of fresh juice once there are healthy yeast populations going. Though he uses a fraction of a mg/l of SO2 (usually around 0.5 or even less) with the pied de cuve, he does not add at any other stage, during aging or at bottling. For the miniscule amount of SO2 used (and at such an early stage), his wines are always very clean and straightforward. There aren't a lot of winemakers whose wines are as consistent vintage after vintage as his are, and these latest arrivals are no exception! His reds have always been vibrant, zingy, and thirst quenching. The whites, all from Chenin Blanc, are serious and structured, owing much of their minerality to the schist soils of Faye d'Anjou. We've just received a shipment of Philippe's 2023 Carpe Chenin Blanc along with his 2023 old vine Cabernet Franc La Vieux de La Vieille, alongside the vibrant and oh-so-drinkable 2024 Lapinou, which is a blend of Grolleau and Cab Franc. The wines are tasting great and always an incredible value while they last!

Margot & Natalia
 
Margot Rousseau-Petit and Natalia Santo aka Margot et Natalia, are based in Champs-sur-Layon. Starting with a tiny plot loaned by Thomas Batardière, they now farm 4 hectares of Chenin Blanc, Grolleau, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, with new plantings of Pineau d'Aunis (we can't wait!). After working with Batardiere and Benoit Courault, Margot and Natalia are on their own, making delightful, refreshing wines that sell out quickly in France - we're fortunate to have the last case or two of their three beautiful wines from 2022s on offer today. Though we were already excited about them when they arrived, now that the wines have settled in to their New York home, they are truly singing. If you missed them when we first sent out a newsletter, or if you were thinking about getting more, now is the time! These are the last of stock for the inaugural US release of these singular wines. 

Domaine Les Grandes Vignes
 
Les Grandes Vignes is a Biodynamic estate in the Loire Valley run by Jean-Francois Vaillant (pictured above). 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. We've marked down prices on the final inventory from our last shipment before new wines arrive, so be sure to take advantage and stock up on some of these superb wines before they are gone!

Forteresse de Berrye
 
Gilles Corbinet (above) has only been making wine at Forteresse de Berrye since 2019, but between the impressive condition of his 12th Century fortress, and even more impressive quality of his wines, you'd be forgiven for mistaking the man (like we did) for a lifelong vigneron. The domaine, located in the Le Puy-Notre-Dame commune, right on the southern border of Saumur, is producing Chenin Blanc of spectacular quality. Les Bourgeres comes from vines planted in 1993 on tuffeau-limestone soils, an aspect of terroir which often separates the great wines of the Loire from the rest. The wine offers lively tropical fruit with a round texture that gives way to very well-balanced acidity. A very fun new addition to the scene for all lovers of Chenin, and an undeniable value.

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