Montlouis-sur-Loire Brut Tradition La Taille aux Loups - Jacky Blot

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!