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2022 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal JanvierIf you don’t know the appellation of Jasnières, get to know it through the wines of this talented vigneron. Jasnières will never be mainstream. It hails from a tiny, stony hillside along the Loir River (a tributary of the Loire River), north of Vouvray, and the grape grown for his whites is the Pineau de la Loire, otherwise known as Chenin Blanc.
Here you will find a different minerality (crushed flintstone?) than his other cuvées, and the fruit is more intense. Notice the crystalline texture, the lemony tang against the sweet, ripe Mirabelle fruit, the firm structure and endless aftertaste. What a talent; what a terroir! Please hide away a few bottles. I predict a masterpiece in about ten years.
—Kermit Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2022 |
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 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
France | Loire
Powerful, cellar-worthy dry Chenin aged in chestnut, oak, and acacia.
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.
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
France | Loire
Brambly berries and lifted floral notes combine with an earthy coolness and touch of spice in this red whose low alcohol level makes it even easier to fervently slurp down.
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
France | Loire
Thierry’s Saumur Blancs are bone-dry, high-acid, mineral Chenin Blancs that drink like Chablis young and take on weight slowly over time.
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
France | Loire
This is the grandest bottling of Cabernet Franc from one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers.
2022 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
France | Loire
Exotically perfumed with hints of guava, musk, and clove, it finishes dry and quite flinty.
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.
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
France | Loire
Intensely dry and mineral, the structured Les Arceaux is a bottle to pair with a meal rather than to drink as an apéritif.
2022 Vouvray
France | Loire
Gentle and refreshing on the palate, it boasts a delightful balance of stony minerality with luscious, almost honeyed fruit and flowery notes.
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.
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
2023 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Savennières
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Champs d’Alligny
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2023 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Savennières
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Champs d’Alligny
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:
1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.
Inspiring Thirst, page 174