This month the French Winophiles are taking a virtual summer escape to the Loire Valley. Jill of L’Occasion with be hosting the event ( (Check out her invitation post here.)
About the Loire Valley
The Loire Valley, two hours southwest of Paris is known as “the Garden of France” due its abundance of fertile farmland that include vineyards along with fruit and vegetable farms which line the banks of both sides of the Loire River. The Loire is the longest river in France. It’s also known as the Land Of A Thousand Chateau.
“The Loire is a garden, a mosaic of tastes and flavors…that attract curious wine lovers.” – Jean-Pierre Gouvazé
From a vinous perspective, the Loire Valley is one of the largest wine regions of France. Unlike most wine regions which run north-south, it run east-west. It covers fifteen departments and 52,000 hectares (128,000 acres) of vines shared between 7,000 growers, who produce nearly 400 million bottles of wines annually. It’s so large it has 51 appellations are spread over 5 large areas (from left to right) Pay Nantais, Anjou, Saumur, Touraine, and Centre-Loire. It’s France’s most diverse wine region producing red, white, rosé, sweet and sparkling wines.
In My Glass
Domaine Richou has been around for exactly 100 years, since 1920. Didier, the eldest brother, became winemaker in 1979 but it wasn’t until 1993 that Damien, the younger brother, came on to help with the viticulture. He has stuck to the vineyards to this day, shepherding the winery through organic certification and now even further into biodynamic practices. They have continued to refine their respective roles, and Didier is considered one of the best, if not the best, winemakers in all of Anjou by many in the know according to their importer. They’re located in Anjou, which is the heart of Loire Valley’s natural wine scene and also Chenin country. It’s also ground zero for pét-nat. So it makes sense that the Richou brothers would make a lovely pét-nat of Chenin.
About “Natural” Wine
I don’t recall exactly how I across Rock Juice, a San Francisco-based private sommelier service that curates a “natural” wines, but I’m glad I did.
There is no universal definition, as there are no standards, no labeling and no regulation of the natural wine category. A natural wine is a wine made with the least possible use of chemicals, additives and technological tricks. That includes chemicals in the field, such as pesticides, as well as things like designer yeast, sulfur or any of the 100 allowable additives that are legally permitted in wine according to Rock Juice. They go on to state that “all of the wines we work with…are farmed organically or biodynamically, either certified or verified practicing, use only native yeast, and contain no additives other than a bit of sulfur (<50ppm or less). I’m including their definition of “natural” wines because, in a category that is every evolving, and that can be down-right confusing and/or misleading, it’s one of the best definitions I’ve seen.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming….The Damien & Didier Richou “Les D en Bulles” is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Chenin Blanc sourced from organically farmed (since 2000, with certification in 2013) vineyards planted on schist and slate soils in Anjou. They are now taking steps towards biodynamic viticulture. It was vinified via méthode ancestrale ( pét-nat ) without any added sugars, yeast or dosage, 18 months on lees, less than 10mg/l of SO2,
My tasting note follows: Pale golden yellow color with appealing and complex aromas of fresh green apple which with a bit of time in the glass, evolved into baked green apple, brioche, chamomile, seashell, and and a hint of chalk aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, bone-dry and very fresh with a creamy texture and green apple, quince, dried apricot, and what feels a bit like oversteeped white tea because there’s a hint of tannins for me and an appetizing bit of bitterness on its lengthy mineral driven finish. ABV – 11.5%|SRP – $23 from Rock Juice. I’ll be buying more of this!
On My Plate
After tasting this wine I was craving raw oysters or maybe a hunk of triple creme cheese (Ok…actually both). Alas, I didn’t have the time to gather such provisions. Instead I walked down to my local taqueria order a Shrimp Ceviche Tostada, and you better belief the wine was a very congenial partner for my Shrimp Ceviche!
Be sure to check out my colleagues Loire Valley wine and food experiences!
Please join our twitter conversation about the Loire Valley this Saturday, August 15th, at 8 am PT/11 am ET. We’ll share tasting notes, food pairing ideas, and more! Just follow and include the #winophiles hashtag to join the conversation. Cheers!
We are relatively new to Pet-Nats but your tasting notes on this wine definitely make us want to hunt it down. Cheers!
Wow Martin, this picture shows what I want to be eating and drinking tonight. I recently made a shrimp dish (had been a few years). Mark said “more shrimp please”. So you can guess what’s in store for us as soon. Rock Juice sounds like a super win to have in your neighborhood!
I know that the Loire Valley is a very large region, but the stats you shared really put it into perspective.
I’m so glad you have a Natural wine shop to source from! I love exploring natural wines and you are right, their definition is a clear and concise one.
This wine is one I will look for. Maybe my friends at GaragisteLV will bring some in.
Now I’m craving cerviche. I do have some Cap Classique that it would pair beautifully with! It’s just a matter of if I am brave enough to go out and get some. Maybe tomorrow…
I love the label on this bottle — it’s both fun and elegant — and the iwne sounds delicious. I will definitely keep an eye out. I also love all your recommended pairing — tostada, oysters, cheese — I’ll take it all!
Love your tasting notes – now I want to try this wine! And the shrimp ceviche tostada sounds refreshing with the wine!
Thanks Payal! I hope all is well!