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2019 Savennières
Château d’EpiréWhile increasingly warm vintages, such as 2019 in the Loire Valley, threaten to upset a wine’s traditional balance and typicity, we have not seen that with Château d’Épiré’s Savennières. Rather than make things overripe and blowsy, as one might fear, the sunny conditions have instead intensified the trademark character of Chenin Blanc from these schist-laden vineyards overlooking the Loire. A discreet nose of fresh walnuts prefaces this white wine flavored more of fractured stone than of any fruit or flower. The finish is bone-dry and utterly mouthwatering, as with any self-respecting Savennières.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Savennières |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Château d'Épiré |
Winemaker: | Luc Bizard |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1965-2013 (average 35 years old), 8.5 ha |
Soil: | Schist |
Aging: | Juice rests for 24 hours before being racked into stainless steel cuves for fermentation to begin |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
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Powerful, cellar-worthy dry Chenin aged in chestnut, oak, and acacia.
2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
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2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
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2022 Sancerre
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An intense exotic nose lures you in before the minerality channels the lightning energy of this pure Sauvignon Blanc.
2020 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
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Showing off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form, rife with aromas of roses, damp earth, and little red berries.
2023 Cheverny
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Sauvignon and a splash of Chardonnay: the epitome of minerally Loire refreshment
2022 Jasnières
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Racy, slightly honeyed, exotically perfumed, and loaded with minerality, this wine is an excellent representation of how Chenin reacts to the local conditions.
2022 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
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It is a lively, brisk wine, showcasing pristine red fruit and a hint of herbs over a firm foundation of stony acidity.
2022 Savennières
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Savennières is home to some of the greatest terroirs for this grape variety thanks to its soils of schist, sandstone, and blue slate and its proximity to the moderating Loire River.
2020 Vin de France Blanche
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This lithe and expressive “orange” wine is an ideal palate-opener with a dry, cleansing finish and a fresh, cooling effect like coastal sage and seaspray.
About The Producer
Château d'Épiré
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
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2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
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2021 Chinon
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2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
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2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
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2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Dyane”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Chinon
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.