9/19/26 - 

For lovers of Chenin Blanc and Pineau d’Aunis (I know there are a few of you out there!), this is a particularly exciting email, as we have a plethora of incredible dry Chenins and some ripping Pineau d’Aunis from many of our favorite producers in the Loire, both established names and exciting up-and-comers. Of particular note are the newly arrived vintages from Robin Carette in Anjou, whose Chenins are chiseled and textural while his reds of Pineau d’Aunis and Grolleau are pure electricity. We’ve also secured some of the outstanding 2025 Pineau d’Aunis from Thierry and Zoé Puzelat of Clos du Tue-Boeuf, and fantastic new releases from La Grapperie in Bueil-en-Touraine. There’s a bit of something for everyone here, and to encourage healthy exploration we are offering 10% off on six bottles and 15% off a case of twelve through the weekend!

Robin Carette pouring his 2025s in February

Robin Carette

We're excited today to reintroduce a producer who, while young, is already starting to make waves in France across the Loire Valley and beyond. Robin Carette farms 5 hectares of certified organic vines in Bonnezeaux, having taken over some parcels of old vines formerly owned by Château de Fesles and setting up in Thouarcé. He works with respect toward the land and native ecosystem, understanding that great wines are a reflection of the place from which they come. This place, Bonnezeaux, has a long history of producing some of the greatest sweet wines in the world. However, there is a growing trend of making chiseled, dry Chenin in the area and the results have been spectacularly compelling, showcasing the unique terroir of black schist and sandstone that allows for slow ripening and a strong mineral core while retaining acidity and tension. Robin's wines are a great example of this; his whites are packed with substance and layers of complexity while his reds are electric and explode from the glass. He does everything the right way—working by hand, natural fermentation and minimal input in the cellar—and the wines show the care that was put into making them through their stunning purity and vivacity.

I first encountered Robin's wines two years ago at the annual Les Pénitentes salon (wine fair/trade show) in the Loire Valley. We had tasted a plethora of great wines that day, from longtime favorites like Hervé Villemade, Thierry Puzelat, Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme, Domaine Mosse (with whom Robin worked before venturing out to make his own wines) and many others. I had just tasted some great Chenin with Michel Autran and wandered over to Carette's table, curious to know more since I had not seen the labels before. I tasted the 2023 Les Salines Chenin and was enthralled. It had all the density, texture, and minerality that I love in Chenin, but the overall balance and feeling of wholeness was particularly exceptional. When I got to his Pineau d’Aunis, Redrum, it was yet another textbook example of a grape I love: light bodied but with structure, bright red fruit without too much extraction, soaring acidity and the characteristic white pepper note that makes Pineau d'Aunis sing.

The next year we set up a visit and walked through Robin's vineyard, a calm and peaceful place on a gently sloping hillside with sandy topsoil and large chunks of quartz amongst the vines. We tasted in the troglodyte cave where he stores and ages his wines (until construction of his new winery is complete), and again were captivated not only by the ethereal and more "serious" Chenins (including the incredible 2021 Ernestine, Robin's first vintage of his top Chenin from his oldest vines), but also the endlessly drinkable reds of Pineau d’Aunis, Grolleau and Cab Franc. He makes a Chardonnay as well called Piha which was a nice surprise, showing the same energy and delicate touch. We started to notice these now familiar labels on lists at restaurants and wine bars around Angers, including popular hangouts like Le Cercle Rouge (where Robin has been known to tend the bar from time to time) and Chez Rémi. It was a promising sign to see people out in the streets (quite literally, as you'll see if you hang out in Angers during the salons) enjoying these wines. They beg to be shared, are unpretentious yet of outstanding quality and provide incredible value, all things that really get to the heart of what I love about wine.

-Jeff DiLorenzo 

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When we first introduced Carette's wines earlier this year, we had small quantities of his 2024s to share. His reds were in particularly short supply due to the difficult vintage in the Loire. This time around, we're pleased to be able to offer ample quantity of his two delicious reds from 2025, 'Ringo' and 'Redrum,' his Chardonnay, 'Piha' and his signature 'Les Salines' Chenin Blanc (along with a re-up on the 2024 Les Salines*). We're also introducing two new wines that complete the lineup. 'Venus' is a new Chenin that was initially part of 'Les Salines,' coming from 20+ year-old vines from all of the coteaux (slopes) of his Bonnezeaux vineyard. It's a wine that is meant to be the mid-level white between Les Salines, and his top, old-vines cuvée, Ernestine. The other new wine is the refreshing 'Hitachi,' an ancestral method sparkler blending Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pineau D'Aunis.  

*Note on the 2024 Les Salines: Carette did not make Ernestine in 2023 or 2024, so Les Salines 2024 is majority young vines with a small percentage of his 60-90 year-old vines that are normally reserved for the Ernestine bottling. 2025 Ernestine is still aging and will be released in 2027.  

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While on the subject of the Loire, we want to take a moment to re-introduce some superb Loire wines from two new estates that arrived over the summer, which you may have missed...

We encountered Pierre Goiset in France last winter and were captivated by the purity, minerality and freshness of his wines. A recent convert to winemaking, Pierre started in 2021 with a few hectares of Melon and Merlot, principally on the granit terroirs of Château Thébaud overlooking the river Maine, and a small parcel on soils of gneiss, orthogneiss and quartz above the Sèvre. They are all Vin de France and they are all completely delightful! The three wines that would be Muscadet are pure, crystalline and saline with beautiful texture. The two Merlots, sparkling and still, are simply delicious!

We're excited to have the gorgeous wines of Stéphane Rocher - La Ferme du Mont Benault at Chambers Street - two truly world-class Anjou Noir Chenins and a superb assortment of delicious reds and whites (and a sweet rosé!) - beautifully made wines from a very talented winemaker with great terroirs!

Jean Noël Millon of Source du Ruault (left) and the estate's cellar (right)

And since it wouldn’t be a proper Loire email without some Cab Franc, we are thrilled to have new vintages from an old favorite Source du Ruault in Saumur, who make elegant and ageworthy Cabernet Franc and expressive, precise Chenins.

Finally, we’d like to remind you of the vibrant beauty of François Chidaine’s 2024s both from Montlouis and Vouvray!

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