Description
Domaine de Bellivière, Coteaux du Loir “Vieilles Vignes Éparses”
Just below Jasnières lies Coteaux du Loir, another obscure, small, infinitely underrated appellation of the Loire Valley. Bellivière’s “Vieilles Vignes Éparses” comes from five scattered (“éparses”) plots that hold vines no less than 70 years old.
Like Eric Nicolas’ “Calligramme” that’s also on offer, vinification for this cuvée is nearly identical. The biodynamic grapes are hand-harvested and meticulously sorted prior to entering the cellar. The fruit is slowly pressed over seven hours and fed into 500-liter French barrels to begin an ambient fermentation. After 24-30 months in oak, the wine is bottled with minimal sulfur.
However, given that this cuvée is from a different appellation and vintage, the results are drastically different. In 2018, “Vieilles Vignes Éparses” delivered an unabashedly lush and concentrated Chenin Blanc loaded with 39 grams of residual sugar thanks to the warm and sunny growing season. The wine is unbelievably addicting: intoxicating waves of ripe quince, apricot, and mango crash over the palate followed by a soft, delicate trail of limestone minerality. It’s a hedonist’s dream.
