Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Hauts de Husseau La Taille aux Loups - Jacky Blot 2016

Lot presentation

Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Hauts de Husseau La Taille aux Loups - Jacky Blot 2016

The wine

Domaine La Coulée de Serrant in Savennières is renowned for producing one of the finest white wines in the world. It is a very old vineyard, dating back to the 12th century, where it was cultivated by Cistercian monks. Restored in the 1960s by Madame Joly, the domain has since been taken over by her son Nicolas. The latter converted his vineyard to biodynamic in 1981. Today it is Nicolas Joly’s daughter, Virginie, who manages the domain. Note that La Coulée de Serrant is also a seven-hectare PDO owned as a monopoly by the Joly family. This domain, which has magnificent terroirs, produces very fine wines.
The Clos de la Bergerie is a very delicate and elegant Savennières-roches-aux-moines. It is aged in oak barrels (never more than 5% new wood). It exudes fruity aromas (quince, apricot) and hints of broom. The palate has body and considerable freshness. This wine can be paired with a wide range of dishes such as veal, lamb or coquilles Saint-Jacques.

Having learned a lot from Nicolas Joly of la Coulée de Serrant, he took a different approach to winemaking and innovated constantly to breathe new life into the appellation. Ploughing and manual harvesting seemed quite groundbreaking at the time. He avoided malolactic fermentation for his dry wines, preferring to ferment them in barriques followed by a lengthy élevage in barrels (today a little more restrained). He also worked his magic on sparkling and sweet white wines.
Jacky Blot sadly passed away in May 2023. Today, the 45-hectare property is run by Jacky's son Jean-Philippe, who takes care of the Chenin vineyards beside the Loire and Cher Rivers.
Mainly located in Montlouis, the domain also owns 5 hectares of vineyards on two very fine terroirs in Vouvray - Clos de Venise (1 ha) and Clos de la Bretonnière (4 ha). It also acquired Clos de Mosny in Montlouis, a superb 12 hectare parcel fully enclosed within 1.6 km of walls. In 2011, the estate began using the best grapes from this very high quality, fully south-facing terroir for a new cuvée known as "Clos de Mosny". The remainder of the harvest goes partly into the "Clos Michet" cuvée and partly into the natural sparkling wine "Triple Zéro".
Finally, we should not forget Domaine de la Butte in Bourgueil and its 16 uninterrupted hectares of Cabernet Franc on one of the best hillsides in the appellation. The vineyards are both cultivated organically and have received official certification. Domaine de la Taille aux Loups is one of the best, if not the best, in the region!