2021 Les Rosiers

Sec-tendre style...
Les Rosiers is from Bellivière's "young vines", which by their definition effectively means anything under 50 years old, some of them as young as 10 years old. The collective yield is a modest 25-35 hl/ha. The parcels are scattered throughout Jasnières on flinty, clay-limestone soils rich in tuffeau (soft limestone). They are farmed biodynamically and harvested by hand. The fruit is destemmed, pressed and barrel-fermented with native yeasts and minimal sulfur; the wine is aged in 1-to-3-year old barrels with a small proportion (1/4) of new oak for one year. Les Rosiers tends to read as the lightest and driest of the Bellivière line-up, though it does sometimes contain residual sugar (this 2021 has 20g/l RS) the acidity and minerality balance out the potential sweetness and give cut and structure to the wine. Chenin Blanc from about one hectare of vines over 80 years-old in 9 different parcels! This is an incredible Chenin Blanc that will age beautifully but will be delicious at any point in its twenty-to-thirty-year evolution. It is a wine of great breed and subtlety, very dense in the mouth and very mineral with deep pear and stone flavours. Decant if drinking young but really best to bury it in the cellar. One of the Loire's great wines of any colour!