{"id":7799,"date":"2025-06-24T16:14:39","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T14:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/divineloire.fr\/en\/?p=7799"},"modified":"2025-06-24T16:14:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T14:14:40","slug":"chenin-anjou-white-wine-schist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/divineloire.fr\/en\/chenin-anjou-white-wine-schist\/","title":{"rendered":"Clos de Roche Noire: Chenin Rooted in the Schist Soils of Anjou"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When a wine manages to whisper the word “minerality” rather than shout it, chances are there’s serious terroir behind it\u2014and a bit of old-school savoir-faire. Enter Clos de Roche Noire<\/em>, a bottle as carefully sculpted as a Rodin torso but drawn from schist soils rather than marble. Some claim the truth is at the bottom of a glass. Here, it\u2019s beneath your feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story begins in 1880, when France<\/a> was still recovering from the debacles of the Franco-Prussian War and when Victor Lebreton, perhaps with more optimism than land, settled in Juign\u00e9 with a mere hectare and a half. Five generations later, his descendants are still coaxing out the sublime from this rugged corner of the Loire, each vine almost a family heirloom. From an initial plot, a domain emerged\u2014rooted in schist, tempered by time, and seasoned with patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A word of caution to the wine-trotter:<\/em> it\u2019s fashionable these days to call anything vaguely mineral “Chablis-like” and any Chenin from the Loire a “surprise.” But the Clos de Roche Noire doesn\u2019t surprise. It confirms. With its precision, its length, its near-architectural structure\u2014it reminds us that some corners of Anjou don\u2019t need reinvention; just keen stewardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vines used for this cuv\u00e9e stretch across the Massif Ardoisier d\u2019Angers-Tr\u00e9laz\u00e9, planted on some of the region’s more dramatic assemblages of argilo-schists and blue schist outcrops. Here, the grape variety\u2014100% Chenin<\/em>, carefully hand-harvested across two to three selective pickings\u2014makes its case for being one of France\u2019s most articulate whites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the first swirl, the nose offers a curated complexity: white pear, fresh quince, and a memory of apple butter on toast<\/em>. There’s a hint of vanilla\u2014never ostentatious\u2014courtesy of a generous yet respectful \u00e9levage in barrel. On the palate, richness meets definition. The mouth reveals roundness, marked by notes of mirabelle plum, a salty tension, and a finale that\u2019s whisperingly long, held upright by a superb acidity. The schist gives structure; the vintage, soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical note for those who cherish vinification details as much as the wine itself: post hand-harvest, the grapes undergo gentle pressing followed by static settling\u2014no added enzymes, just gravity and clarity. After alcoholic fermentation, a soft, often complete malolactic fermentation follows, taming edges and lending the wine its enveloping style. The \u00e9levage\u2014yes, those beloved barrels again\u2014adds gravitas without artifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Coteaux de l’Aubance<\/a>, often overshadowed by louder appellations, proves here it deserves more than a footnote. The parcellar approach taken by the estate, adapting winemaking to the subtleties of each parcel\u2019s unique schist substratum, allows a multitude of expressions in bottle\u2014like variations on a sonata, all in key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now for the kitchen.<\/b> Pairing suggestions? The wine handles contrast beautifully\u2014imagine a veal blanquette with a sprig of tarragon, or fish with citrus-glazed sauce and shaved fennel. For purists: grilled hake, lightly buttered green asparagus, or even a homemade fish & chips (yes, really)\u2014the acidity cuts through, the minerality sings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for those who read a wine like they would a poem, this one offers complexity worth pondering: aromatic hints of oyster shell, toasted cereal, soft fennel, brushed florality, even whispers of hazelnut<\/em>. A profile that could almost pass\u2014dare we say it\u2014for something Burgundian on a blind tasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take, for example, the 2020 vintage, vinified under HVE 3 certification. A season marked by early maturity and long hang time, this resulted in golden-yellow grapes harvested at pinpoint ripeness. The result? A balance of ripeness and bracing acidity with a frame sturdy enough to age ten years, but generous enough to charm today. Gras, tendu, min\u00e9ral<\/em>\u2014the kind of trio Marcel Proust would have appreciated if he\u2019d preferred wine to madeleines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those planning a Loire detour, Juign\u00e9-sur-Loire makes for a stop that’s both contemplative and gustative. One can almost picture the elder Lebreton urging his vines during a grey Anjou morning: “Grow deep, speak true.” We’ll raise our glass to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to explore a vin that speaks softly but carries a large terroir? Let the Clos de Roche Noire whisper its layered truth into your next dinner conversation. Discover other vintages or plan your visit\u2014quietly recommended at bottom of the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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