Notify me
2015 Jasnières “Cuvée Sainte Narcisse”
Pascal JanvierDo yourself a favor and give this gem a taste. It might be the most unusual, most delicious, and least expensive top-quality sweet wine you have ever tried. A pure Chenin Blanc, hand picked from a special selection of late-harvest grapes in the tiny appellation of Jasnières, this cuvée was made in miniscule quantities. It showcases an awesome combination of smooth, pure, decadent Chenin fruit and super-complex terroir—smoke, peat, exotic spices, and volcanic stoniness. Serve it as dessert, in and of itself, or as a palate-stimulating apéritif. We in the U.S. haven’t acquired the French habit of serving a sweet wine to start the evening, but it is worth a try. It works, especially with a knockout winner like this.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | dessert |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Jasnières |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Pascal Janvier |
Vineyard: | 35-40 years |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 12% |
More from this Producer or Region
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.
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.
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.
2021 Quincy
France | Loire
You’ll appreciate the distinctive flavor profile: born from warmer soils, it tastes of ripe, succulent citrus devoid of grassiness, while boasting the same flinty nerve as a good Sancerre.
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 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
France | Loire
The new vintage shows great freshness and brightness, making me think of tart berries picked in the forest just a touch below full ripeness.
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Loire
Pierre’s old-vine Quincy has a mouth-coating texture and charming notes of tangerine that are certain to earn this great appellation the following it deserves.
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.
2022 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
France | Loire
Exotically perfumed with hints of guava, musk, and clove, it finishes dry and quite flinty.
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
France | Loire
This is the grandest bottling of Cabernet Franc from one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers.
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 Bourgueil Rosé
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2021 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Rosé
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2021 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
Touraine “Fines Bulles”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.