Description
Nicolas Joly, Savennières-Roche-aux-Moines, “Clos de la Bergerie”
Nicolas Joly was ridiculed when he first made the move to biodynamics in the 1980s (it wasn’t ‘avant-garde’ in the Loire Valley until much later), but he weathered the storm and has never looked back. John Stuart Mill said it best: “Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption.” And now, producers across the world are entering the third stage. So, other than full-on biodynamic, what makes Joly so culty?
Some wines, even if described down to the most minute of details, will still surprise your palate. Nicolas Joly’s daughter, Virginie (winemaker since 2006), makes three of them: “Vieux Clos,” “Clos de la Bergerie,” and “Coulée de Serrant”—which is also an appellation solely created for their estate, like those of Romanée-Conti and Château-Grillet. These three wines are 100% Chenin Blanc, and all are singular examples of how powerfully complex the grape can be. Today’s \Clos de la Bergerie\ is considered the younger sibling of the famous “Coulée de Serrant” bottling, but there is nothing ‘little’ about this wine. It’s a full-bodied, bone-dry white melded with profound minerality—at once immense and vibrant. Per usual with Joly’s wines, expect this to go the distance—10, 20, 25 years—or open it now and watch it evolve over many days, not hours. In my past encounters, it has only continued to gain energy and complexity over the course of a week. A week! This wine is an anomaly, a unique experience that comes once in a blue moon, so please don’t miss this extraordinary bottle!
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UPDATE: I tasted the wine this morning—on its eighth day of being opened—and it’s still firing on all cylinders. Simply unbelievable.
Before diving into Nicolas Joly, let’s first briefly explain biodynamic viticulture. There are many bizarre opinions on biodynamic farming—some may even call it witchcraft—but ultimately, this is about the harmony of an ecosystem and the integration of all natural components, something like “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” Simply put, chemicals and harsh fertilizers are toxic. Manure and compost, these are parts of nature, and they promote the soils’ nutrients and, in turn, the vine itself. Yes, you’ll find Nicolas Joly playing music to his fermenting wines, monitoring lunar/solar cycles, and burying cow horns, but this is a man with the utmost respect for nature’s energy—and he wants to harness it! Whether or not you believe in the practices, his dedication and commitment to the ecosystem mustn’t be overlooked.
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The estate of Nicolas Joly (known as Coulée de Serrant) was planted to vines by Cistercian Monks in the early 1100s and several parts have remained under vine ever since—that’s nearly 900 consecutive vintages. Jumping forward to the 20th century, Joly returned home in the late 1970s to tend to his mother’s vines after a brief career in finance. Ironically, she was still farming traditionally and when neighboring winemakers crowded Nicolas’ ear telling him to switch to more conventional methods—pesticides, machines, etc.—he did, lamenting it almost immediately. So, after reading a book on holistic farming, a philosophy introduced by Rudolph Steiner, Nicolas put it into practice (and has since authored many books on the matter). In 1984 he converted to fully biodynamic and then lead the movement, which has now consumed the wine world. Since 2006, his daughter Virginie, a trained oenologist, has taken over the winemaking and her skill certainly shows in the final product. This is a perfect combination—he oversees the vines, she handles the wine.
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\Clos de la Bergerie\ is located within the Savennières sub-appellation of Roche-aux-Moines, which is adjacent to the famous Coulée de Serrant monopole. The vines are planted on east-facing slopes of volcanic rock (rhyolite) and schist, and average 25 years of age. All grapes are harvested by hand, yields are extremely low, and they make multiple passes through their vineyards in order to select grapes of preferred ripeness. It should be noted, typically 10% of harvested grapes are developing botrytis (noble rot), a trait which they cherish since it lends to the wine’s ageability and aromatic complexity. In the winery, only indigenous yeasts are used and fermentation can take up to four months to complete. For most producers, this would be a terrifying waiting process; Virginie and Nicolas embrace it. The wine then ages in mostly used 500-liter oak barrels—less than 5% new oak is used and only implemented to replace old barrels. For reference, the last new barrel they bought was in 2001; they take their time putting new barrels into rotation.
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While pouring into the glass, the 2014 “Clos de la Bergerie” shows tremendous density. The wine’s deep yellow-gold core moves to glints of silver at the rim. It’s full-throttle style is immediately apparent before sniffing or sipping, so prepare yourself for the aromatic explosion. Aromas of apricot pit, peach skin, orange pith and cut yellow apple rush forward and, as it’s exposed to air, you can expect notes of wild herbs, honeysuckle, crushed stone, lees, cheese rind, and lingering spice to follow. This is a mammoth wine, full of complex flavors and piquant herbs; on the palate, it shows immense power while retaining elegance, thanks to vibrant levels of acidity (which is a classic trait to all Loire Valley Chenin Blanc). With a small presence of botrytised grapes in the blend, you’ll also notice accents of spun honey and spice. Expect this wine to open up over a series of days—decant hours (2-3+ hours) beforehand or even pop the cork a day or two before consuming (and leave the cork removed, seriously). I repeat, show this wine air, it cannot have too much! It will preserve itself up to a week after opening, or if you choose to stow a few bottles away, they’ll be best from 2020 and beyond (it will survive decades of cellaring). When drinking, do so in large Burgundy stems—or the biggest bowl you have—and try your best to track its evolution over the course of hours and days. This is a near supernatural wine with so much power and buzzing energy; after being sweet-talked by some air, it will be eagerly awaiting to impress you. This wine pairs well with many styles of cuisine, and my favorite being seafood with cream sauces, but this particular Monkfish recipe is a stunning pairing. Please try it! Cheers!
