June 2025
Our Trip to Touraine (Loire Valley Recap)
After three months of delicious Italian wines we now head northwest to France, where Emily and I just returned from last month. We spent three days in the central Loire Valley, around the city of Tours and five days in Paris. While in Paris we visited many many wine bars and restaurants, gathering ideas for the shop as we went along. The wines this month, though, will be focused entirely on producers we visited in the Loire.
We flew into Paris early in the morning and, after a brief walkabout in the city, took the train southwest for about an hour, arriving in Tours in the early afternoon. From Tours we drove about 40 minutes to the beautiful little town of Chinon, located on the Vienne river, which feeds into the Loire. Chinon, now primarily known as the wine region famous for its Cabernet Franc, also happens to be the place where a seventeen-year-old Joanne of Arc met with Charles VII and convinced him of her divine inspiration before breaking the siege of Orleans. The 11th century castle still stands above the village and is definitely worth checking out if anyone finds themselves in the area.
Chinon - looking at the castle from across the Vienne River.
Our first wine visit was with Domaine du Mortier: north about 45 minutes, on the other side of the Loire river. Mortier is located in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourguiel, another Cabernet Franc haven, where brothers Fabien and Cyril have been working organic and biodynamic vineyards for a couple of decades. We met with Fabien who gave us a tour of the facilities, cave and vineyards before an extensive tasting and lunch.
Max and Fabien in the vineyard at Domaine du Mortier.
One thing that Fabien is most proud of is a handful of experimental vineyards that they work just outside of the AOC on the edge of a vast forest. These vineyards give them bandwidth to play with different grape varietals, farming methods, and winemaking techniques that the AOC regulations don’t allow in their wines that carry the AOC label. These grapes, used for their “Brain du Folie” label, are selected for their frost resistance and resilience. The red in this month’s club is such a wine, highlighting the very minor varietal Grolleau.
Fabien also showed us their biodynamic treatments, which are stored in an old box deep in the Roman-era cave where the wine is aged. Numerous glass jars filled with different combinations of herbs, flowers and manure - each used in the vineyard for its own specific purpose. Fabien described this use of biodynamics as an ongoing conversation between the vines, the water, the soil, the animals, and himself as the farmer and winemaker.
Biodynamic treatments staying cool in the cave.
From Mortier we headed back up to Chinon and stopped in Domaine de Pallus, one of Chinon’s premier producers. There we met with winemaker Bertrand, who showed us around one of the vineyards and gave us a tour of caves, where we got to do some barrel sampling before the proper tasting.
Vineyards at Domaine de Pallus.
The barrel samples were a great way to see the vintage variations they’ve experienced the last few years, as most of their wines are single-vineyard bottlings, so most changes can be chalked up to the growing season. The tasting was all classic Chinon, Cab Francs ranging from elegant everyday reds (such as the one in this month’s club) to powerful single-vineyard selections able to age for decades. It was a distinct counterpoint to the experimental nature of Mortier… Thankfully great wine can be made in many different ways!
After Pallus, we headed back into Chinon and had a lovely evening touring the castle and visiting wine bars.
View of Chinon from the castle tower.
The next day we had an hour drive straight west, to Amboise and La Grange Tiphaine. La Grange Tiphaine is the producer of the final two wines this month: a fresh, mouthwatering Sauvignon Blanc and a delicious little sparkling rose. They’re under different winery names because La Grange Tiphaine (The Tiphaine Barn) produces wine under the winemaker’s name (Delecheneau) as well as producing wines in conjunction with the importer (the Gaspard line, which some of you have likely already experienced in the shop).
Making wine and music at La Grange Tiphaine.
The winery itself is an old barn, thoughtfully renovated into a multi use space where the Delecheneaus host musician residencies amongst the various aging vessels (casks, cement, amphora, glass) and throw parties for friends and family. These spaces pour out into the vineyards, where they’ve built walking paths that wind through the property with sporadic statues and other artwork interspersed.
We toured the facility with Coralie Delecheneau, one of the owner/winemakers. The facility is fairly modern, but the winemaking techniques are simple and honest. They get grapes from a wide variety of vineyards in the Amboise region, making wines from at least eight different varietals. The wide range of wines we tasted attest to the diversity of their output, and we’re excited to continue bringing in more of their wines as they become available to us (the stock of both Mortier and La Grange Tiphaine stateside is pretty low at the moment and we’re waiting on tariff news to see what gets restocked and when).
Vineyards at La Grange Tiphaine.
Our final visit was to Domaine Huet, one of Vouvray's premier producers. This was a great visit full of great wines, but the price point on the Huet wines is a bit high to fit into a wine club unfortunately. But! If you want to experience some game-changing Chenin Blanc, stop in and ask about the Huet wines, we’ll be carrying a handful of them going forward (including an incredible sparkling Chenin Blanc that competes with champagne at a much more approachable price).
Tasting at Domaine Huet.
Domaine du Mortier - ‘Brain du Folie’ Rouge
The Grapes
60% Grolleau 40% Cabernet Franc
Tasting Notes
Cherry and brambly berry nose, hint of green pepper and earth on the palate. Really fresh, lower, easy acid with balanced tannins, lemon balm. Long finish highlighted by herbal notes.
Pairing Suggestions
Charcuterie spread of fatty cured meats and pungent cheeses, maybe some olives and pickled things as well.
Can it Age?
Ready to drink now!
Domaine de Pallus - ‘Messanges’ Chinon
The Grapes
100% Cabernet Franc
Tasting Notes
Ripe strawberry, touch of bell pepper, graphite, tobacco. Ripe berries continue throughout, almost candied strawberries (those little ones wrapped in the strawberry foil wrappers).
Pairing Suggestions
Lamb chops with a balsamic vinegar reduction or other somewhat gamey meats.
Can it Age?
Made to drink now but could sit for up to 4 years
Delecheneau - 'Trinquames' Sauvignon Blanc
The Grapes
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting Notes
Crisp citrus and minerality with hints of guava, not overpowering at all. Juicy lemon and lime zest on the palate with a long, wet stone minerality on the finish.
Pairing Suggestions
Light salad with lots of greens and some simple charred shrimp.
Can it Age?
Nah, drink on a nice warm day.
Gaspard - ‘Bulles’ Sparkling Rose
The Grapes
100% Pinot d’Aunis
Tasting Notes
Rich raspberry and florality on the nose, lots of aromatics and balanced acidity. Fresh raspberry/darker berry finish, very easy going.
Pairing Suggestions
Definitely a wine that doesn’t require food at all, but would be great with a simple spread of cheeses, crackers, and other finger foods.
Can it Age?
Why wait! Pop this open on a summer evening.