The Great Chenin Blancs of Domaine aux Moines!
We're proud to offer the great 2022 Savennières Roche aux Moines from Tessa Laroche at the Domaine aux Moines! Although there are new estates and young superstars demanding attention - and high prices - in Anjou, the work of Tessa Laroche at this historic domain has brought the wines up to the very highest level and they belong in your cellar! Lovers of great Chenin Blanc should take advantage of the moderate prices and superb quality of Tessa's wines while supplies last.
"The 2022 vintage was quite warm and sunny but with rain when necessary. The grapes were magnificent with beautiful golden color (tout d'orée). The vinifications went perfectly - the wine was aged one-sixth in foudre, one-sixth in cuve inox, two-thirds in barrique, and was bottled after 18 months. It's a wine that combines freshness and power with great density and weight, showing wonderful finesse with notes of white fruits and citrus and a lovely bitterness on the finish." Tessa Laroche
"2022 is a great vintage for Tessa, dense, yet fresh. In the cellar, she continues to improve : she has now some foudres, is refining the coopers she is working with to really have the most delicate, subtle influence to enhance the different components of the Roche aux Moines bottling. The 2022 is really a show-stopper, and a keeper." - Pascaline Lepeltier
Roches aux Moines could appear on the Savennières label as a cru but was not officially a separate appellation until 2011, with maximum yields of 30 hl/ha for dry and 25 hl/ha for sweet (as in Quarts de Chaume). This is one of the greatest terroirs for Chenin in the Loire. "The bedrock in Roche aux Moines is the schist, schiste-gréseux and related rocky inclusions of the geological formation Unite de Saint-Georges. In many parts the bedrock lies very close to the surface, particularly on the steeper parts lower down the slope." (As at Domaine aux Moines) One could say that the wines of Roche aux Moines generally possess more density, purity and mineral character than those of the Savennieres appellation, and the wines of the Domaine aux Moines are perhaps the finest.
The 2023 "Le Berceau des Fées" is from the youngest vines on the property, bordered by a row of trees named "Le Berceau des Fées" - the cradle of the fairies. It's a fresh and vibrant Chenin that is a great success in this very difficult vintage. With the heat and then rain, a great deal of sorting was necessary in the vineyard and in the cellar. Tessa and her great team overcame these difficulties to produce a delightful and crystalline junior Roche aux Moines to enjoy over the next ten years.
We have loved every recent vintage of the Domaine aux Moines Savennières Roche aux Moines. Under the expert guidance of Tessa Laroche, the wines just get better and better and are now among the very finest Chenin Blancs in the Loire!
For all you Chenin fans out there, we've included a few of our favorites from current stock, including the superb 2018 sweet wines from Julien Pinon and the fabulous Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir from Domaine de la Roche Bleue…
Domaine aux Moines wines are net priced, all others discount 10% on a case or mixed case. Pick-up/shipping available Wednesday 7/10.
