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ROCHEBLEUE1002
Domaine de la Roche Bleue ‘L’Orée de la Berterie’ 2018
ROCHEBLEUE1002
Domaine de la Roche Bleue ‘L’Orée de la Berterie’ 2018

Domaine de la Roche Bleue ‘L’Orée de la Berterie’ 2019

€22.68

Bright and energetic wine that even in its youth strikes a great balance between Chenin Blanc’s fresh (green apple, pear, white flowers) and cooked (baked apple, dried peach, honey) sides. On the palate, the ripeness of the vintage is carried by beautiful acidity and a chalky mouthfeel, with a good squeeze of lime on the finish.

Vinification
20-30 year old Chenin vines south-west facing slopes and plateaus in Coteaux du Loire. Mostly clay and silex over limestone yields 30 hl/ha. Manual harvest at slight overmaturity, possibly some botrytis. Long and delicate pressing of whole bunches, natural settling of the juice. Spontaneous fermentation without additions in tank, at low temperature due to cold tuffeau cave. Elevage in the tank, bottling after delicate filtration and sulfuring.
SKU: ROCHEBLEUE100219 Categories: ,
Description
Domaine de la Roche Bleue

Originally hailing from Sancerre, Sebastien Cornille started his domaine in 2008 with a couple of remote vineyards in Jasnières (itself an outskirt and the northernmost limit of Chenin-growing), which by now he has grown into a 6,5 ha operation with holdings in Jasnières and Coteaux-du-Loir. These sloped vineyards – mostly on argilo-silex over limestone soils – are all worked manually and solely by Sebastien himself (certified organic, biodynamic in practice).

Work in the cellar is carried out without additives except for minimal amounts of sulfur, with long natural fermentation and elevage (part tank/part old barrels) deep inside icy tuffeau caves. 

Man were we impressed, during a wintry visit to the Loire, by Sebastien’s humble determination and his beautifully chiseled wines! Bracingly acidic, subtly kaleidoscopic Chenins refracting a thousand nuances of white flower, apple, honey, wax, butter and chalk. Laser-focused, mega-crunchy old vine Pineau d’Aunis, sometimes blended with Gamay and Cabernet, full of momentum and restrained white-peppery funk. All delicious now but built for the long haul. 
These may not be the most charismatic looking bottles in town, but what’s inside them is some of the most promising wine on our shelves. Definitely not for everyone, but any acid-head with a taste for nuanced and contemplative wines that walks past them is missing out big time.
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