Description
Le Fief Noir, Anjou Blanc “L’Échappée”
Here’s a prediction: Those of you who acquire, and subsequently enjoy, today’s white will have two immediate reactions. First, you’re going to wish you bought more. Second, you are going to wonder aloud why Loire Valley Chenin Blanc doesn’t factor more prominently in your regular rotation. There will, of course, be a few outliers—many of them fellow sommeliers—who are already dyed-in-the-wool Chenin fanatics and see Le Fief Noir’s “L’Enchappée” as a shiny, attractively priced new toy.
It comes from Dominique Sirot and Alexis Soulas, whose recently acquired, re-named estate, Le Fief Noir, is an important new player not just in Anjou-Saumur but in Loire Valley Chenin more broadly. Legendary trailblazers like biodynamic guru Nicolas Joly (Coulée de Serrant) and revered Mark Angeli (Ferme de la Sansonnière) have inspired an entire new wave of winemakers, both newcomers and heirs to historic properties, rendering the “Anjou Noir” (the western half of Anjou-Saumur) a treasure trove of inspiration and talent. Today’s expressive, explosive Chenin Blanc, born from ancient, schist-laden soils, will serve for most of you as an introduction to Le Fief Noir, and, based on my experience, it makes an indelible first impression. Their 2019 “L’Échappée” is a laser-focused, stony, textured stunner. Don’t think high-acid, palate-searing beast. No way. This is a wine of purity and elegance, approaching Chablisienne polish with sublime creamy salinity. Welcome to your pound-for-pound, all-world chameleonic white, packed with old-vine pedigree and priced for multiple plays. Seriously, don’t leave yourself short here.
Dominique Sirot and Alexis Soulas met while working on the winemaking team of a large, high-output Corsican winery. After realizing they had hit a dead-end of inspiration, yet learning they shared a childhood dream of becoming winegrowers, they became fast friends and began to pencil a plan. After much terroir-hunting (while digesting the sober realization that owning dirt in Bordeaux or Burgundy was a financial pipe-dream), they started kicking around Anjou and landed at the shockingly affordable Domaine des Chesnaies. Already in process for organic certification and planted to nearly 50 acres of old-vine Chenin, Cabernet Franc, and rare Grolleau, all deeply rooted in those glorious schist soils, the dynamic duo pulled the trigger, packed up their respective families, and made the move in 2014. Fully organic in 2015 and then renamed Le Fief Noir (“the dark stronghold”) in 2016, the domaine is located in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay, barely five miles from Savennières on the south side of the Loire River. This brilliantly reimagined property has created a full set of signature single-variety and blended cuvées, crafted from exclusively organic fruit, hand-harvested, and naturally fermented with minimal winemaking intervention—all capturing remarkable freshness and tension.
Though historically more known for the celebrated sweet and off-dry wines (Quarts de Chaume and Côteaux du Layon) the Anjou Noir has more recently emerged as a dry Chenin stronghold. Winemaking styles are diverse, based on personal philosophy and flavor preference, but also undeniably shaped by the complexity and variation of this area’s dark, metamorphic soils, fractured by countless volcanic veins. With plots dating back more than 400 million years, over time they have been altered and deformed. There is a significant seismic fault beneath the slopes of Layon that has been traced to the eruption of the Alps. As a result, this western portion of Anjou contains many microclimates based on the proximity to rivers, plateaus, and hillsides with wide-ranging soil types: light, wind-blown sand, clay-rich sand, purple and gray schist studded with veins of volcanic rock, charcoal, and limestone. A staggering breadbasket of terroir! It’s no surprise the ambitious duo of Le Fief Noir pounced on their opportunity to sink their hands into this magical dirt.
The 2019 “L’Échappée” (“the escape”) is all Chenin Blanc from 35-year-old vines planted in local clayey gravel over black schist. Days before harvest, 5% of the fruit is picked and dropped to increase fruit concentration during the final phase of ripening. Once the manual harvest is conducted, fruit sorting follows, then the directly pressed juice begins its fermentation in stainless steel tanks, spontaneously induced from indigenous yeasts. The wine remains in tank for six months of aging with periodic stirring of the fine lees to enhance richness and texture. It’s bottled unfined after a light filtration. Once chilled and served at an optimal temperature range of 45-50 degrees in all-purpose stems, the wine displays a lemon yellow hue with silver-green reflections. Expressive aromas of fresh hay, gala apple with hints of pineapple, and white peach immediately come waltzing forward. A smooth, refreshing medium-bodied palate carries a delicious creamy texture wrapped around flavors of tree fruits, lemon custard, and raw honey with salty flashes of yuzu and honeysuckle on the finish. Clean and crisp but not lacking richness and depth, reminiscent of high-quality Aligoté with a touch more lift. The wine just begs for food and rest assured it will welcome a broad range. From straightforward sashimi to spicy greens with warm goat cheese or an herb-stuffed, whole roasted fish to a risotto with grilled vegetables, this is a switch-hitting champ for every table. Be sure to lock up enough for multiple repeat performances!
