Notify me
2019 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal JanvierWhen I was a kid, I loved the way cold swimming pool water smelled when splashed onto the blazing hot pavement. I would lie facedown in the puddle, inhaling the aromas of the steaming wet stone, at least until the surface started to heat up again and I’d have to do another cannonball. I don’t get a chance to do this much anymore, but I can certainly indulge in another iconic summertime practice: sipping a cool glass of Cuvée du Silex from Janvier.
I know now that the wet stone analogy would be a good way to express “minerality” and, short of eating a juicy nectarine while lying beside the pool under a honeysuckle bush, I don’t know how better to describe the flinty beauty of the Silex. This Chenin Blanc has a tart sweetness, or perhaps a sweet tartness—with neither overbearing—that epitomizes good balance and will have you greedily reaching for your glass. Don’t stay on the edge—dive in!
—Jennifer Oakes
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Coteaux du Loir |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Pascal Janvier |
Winemaker: | Pascal Janvier |
Vineyard: | 35 - 40 years, 6 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Flint, Limestone |
Aging: | Another racking takes place after fermentation, then the wines age for a few more months before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
France | Loire
It might be the most unusual and most delicious top-quality sweet wine you have ever tried: a pure Chenin Blanc from a special selection of late-harvest grapes in the appellation of Jasnière.
2022 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
France | Loire
Exotically perfumed with hints of guava, musk, and clove, it finishes dry and quite flinty.
2021 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
France | Loire
Serve it with a slight chill, and you’ll have a satisfyingly fresh red with medium fruit and a light dusting of herbs and tannin.
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
France | Loire
Made in the méthode traditionnelle with direct-press Cabernet Franc, it is a light, bright, and festive bubbly meant to be drunk cold and often.
2022 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
France | Loire
This red is 100% Pineau d’Aunis, an indigenous red grape we hold dear to our collective hearts because of its mystifying aromatics and bright, juicy texture.
2021 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil “Irène”
France | Loire
Cabernet Franc on sandy, gravelly soils—juicy, crunchy, and highly chillable.
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
France | Loire
This is the grandest bottling of Cabernet Franc from one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers.
2022 Jasnières
France | Loire
Racy, slightly honeyed, exotically perfumed, and loaded with minerality, this wine is an excellent representation of how Chenin reacts to the local conditions.
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
France | Loire
Outre Terre is a tiny production of Cabernet Franc fermented in amphora and aged in barrel.
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
France | Loire
This Chenin Blanc has a tart sweetness, or perhaps a sweet tartness—with neither overbearing—that epitomizes good balance and will have you greedily reaching for your glass.
About The Producer
Pascal Janvier
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre HALF BOTTLE
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre HALF BOTTLE
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
Vintage Chart Mentality
Vintage Chart Mentality
Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch