Vin de France Bretonnière La Taille aux Loups - Jacky Blot 2015 (White)

The Domaine de la Taille aux Loups story began in the early 1990s. At that time, Jacky Blot was a wine broker, but when presented with the opportunity to buy some vineyards in Montlouis it did not take him long to decide. 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!

La Bretonnière is produced from one of the finest clos vineyards in the (dry) Vouvray appellation but was demoted to a Vin de France because it is vinified in Montlouis (on the other side of the Loire, 3 km from Vouvray, but outside the area defined in the appellation's specification. Nonetheless, this is a very high quality cuvée which undergoes élevage in barriques (one quarter new wood). It exudes aromas of citrus fruit (lemon, orange) and apple. The palate demonstrates excellent precision and is pleasantly vivacious with a beautifully bitter and lightly saline finish. This wine pairs well with shellfish, sauce-based fish dishes, white meats and goats cheeses.

Consult price estimate for: La Taille aux Loups