Description
A vineyard across the river, south facing, at the top of the Côte des Forges, on green sandstone schist, sometimes with purple veins. Ageing for 26 months in demi-muid (73%), amphora (15%) and concrete- egg (12%). Bottled with no additions.
Luc and Bénédicte have vines high up in Savennières, on windblown sands, phthanite rocks and schist. It was vinified and matured in demi-muids for 73% of the blend, amphorae for 15% and cement egg for 12%. The élevage lasted 26 months. This picks it up a little, with undeniable charm on the nose, precise, flinty and reductive, but lifted with floral energy reminiscent of jasmine. The palate allows the oak to show through a little, as it carries the reduction evident on the nose but it comes scented with vanilla. Underneath, the fruit is tense, bitter and charming, grained with phenolic grip, but finishing minerally and tight. This is very good indeed. The total sulphite level is 18 mg/l, the alcohol is 13.5% on the label. \
93/100 Chris Kissack www.thewinedoctor.com
About the Domaine
Based in Anjou in the heart of the Loire Valley, Terra Vita Vinum are producing some of the most remarkable wines we can remember tasting. Their single vineyard wines are fantastically focused, full of energy and life, often made with no additions of any kind. The decision not to use Sulphur is not an easy one- it requires hard work and laboratory-like levels of care in the winery, but when done well the resulting wines can be magnificently expressive and complex, whilst retaining purity of fruit. You won’t taste better than Terra Vita Vinum.
The soils Luc and Bénédicte farm are a geologist’s (and oenophile’s) dream. Hugely complex, often volcanic in origin, they impart a unique character to the wines they produce. Tasting them together is fascinating, and really for me represents why wine is such an endlessly compelling and soulful pursuit. These single vineyard wines are the pinnacle of Bénédicte and Luc’s project. Now fully converted to biodynamic farming, each parcel is given maximum care to emphasise its subtle differences in character and style. In the winery each wine is aged in a specific combination of barrel, foudre, amphora and concrete egg, chosen to best show each site’s unique character. From the racy Grand Vau to the rich, silky Grand Rogeries, or the deep minerality of the Pavillon – each talks in its own distinctive voice, despite their common grape variety and their vineyards relative proximity.
The domaine now consists of 40ha, only 30 of which are planted to vines. The other ten are used to grow wildflowers and other beneficial plants, the better to increase the domaine’s bio-diversity, which in turn will create healthier vineyards. This attitude isn’t a marketing ploy- it is at the heart of the project. Luc and Benedicte are devotees of Jules Guyot, a visionary who wrote in 1860 that “the genius of wine was in the vine”. Only by talking the best care of one’s vines can one expect to make the best wine.
Everything at Terra Vita Vinum is done by hand, with care. Even down to using the smallest possible trays when picking grapes, to ensure no berries are squashed during transport – the attention to detail here is incredible. They are artisans in the best sense of the word, utterly devoted to their craft. Terra Vita Vinum are clearly destined for greatness, it is so exciting to work with them!
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.