Le Rocher des Violettes Le Grand Clos 2022

Le Grand Clos is a single-vineyard dry Chenin Blanc from Le Rocher des Violettes, the Montlouis-sur-Loire estate of Xavier Weisskopf, who moved from the Rhone to the Loire for this grape. It comes from a walled plot of old vines, some over ninety years old, whose low yields concentrate the fruit. Montlouis sits across the river from Vouvray in the Touraine, on clay and flint over the region's soft tuffeau limestone, a terroir that gives Chenin its firm acidity and mineral, stony backbone. Farming is organic. The wine is aged around ten months in large old oak foudres: their size means very gentle oxygen exchange and little wood flavour, so the barrel builds texture, breadth and a light honeyed complexity while the fruit and minerality stay in front. Chenin's naturally high acidity makes it long-lived, and this is a wine to age. It is bright gold, with ripe pear, honey and white peach over beeswax, almond and chamomile. The palate is dry, rich and structured, the weight balanced by a firm, saline, mineral finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees, decanting a young bottle.