Author: Dirk Chan
My trip to France did not get off to a good start, with the connecting flight from Montreal to Paris delayed by 1.5 hours due to lightning, and then sitting on the runway for another 15 minutes for equipment corrections. However, it was a blessing that my arrival day was a religious holiday in France, and the 10:30 train from Paris to Cholet in the Loire Valley was not available, because the plane only arrived at 10am and to have cleared customs and catch the train would have been impossible. With my good luck spurring me on, I navigated the tgv train and arrived safely in Cholet as a guest of Marc Vigneron of Nobilis Wines and his lovely wife Monique.
I don’t think i’ve ever konked out like the 8 hours sleep that came afterwards (old age). With a packed scheduled, we set out to visit the owner and winemaker Comtesse Evelyne de Pontbriand of Clos du Closel in Saviennieres, home of the great dry Chenin Blancs of the region – these wines are not for the faint of heart. The expression still have the honeycombe beeswax nose, but the palate is crushingly bone dry, but what class here. The entry level Jalousie was impressive, and the tete de cuvee ‘Clos du Papillons 2007’ is magnificent and truly a vin de garde (Baumard is the only other winery that also produces this Grand Cru). These are undoubtedly food wines, and not for deck sipping by themselves. But if you appreciate terroir wines and a winemakers’ efforts in the biodynamic realm, you will appreciate this terroir, the minerality, sharp acidity and history that are expressed by this house. Saviennieres are probably the first white wine that this writer has encountered that requires as much brain power as palate power to appreciate. With a tasting inside the historic 11th century ornate tasting room, this is a fiine way to start this trip with!
Tomorrow, we visit with Jean-Louis Saget..
Make sure to come back and visit daily as I put up new blogs for the next 2 weeks..