Nicolas Joly Savennieres Les Vieux Clos Blanc 2020

It's hard to mention Chenin Blanc and the Loire without referring to the Biodynamic Guru that is Nicolas Joly.

After taking over his family's estate, Château de la Roche aux Moines, in 1977, Joly started looking into alternative agricultural practices. He felt that the constant use of systemic, synthetic herbicides, fungicides and other pest control was destroying the natural ecosystems within the vineyards. So it was fortuitous that he came across a book on Biodynamic farming, and began to employ those principles in his vineyards. In 1980, he produced his first cuvee biodynamically. By 1984, all of the estate's wines were made this way.

Nicolas now manages the winery with his daughter, Virginie.The Joly's use compost from their own herd of cows, donkeys, horses, and goats. To limit the negative effects of monoculture, more than a dozen different native plants are found throughout the vineyards, allowing each root to develop different micro-organisms. Sheep feed on the cover crop and their manure nourishes the soil. In the spring, a chicken coop is set up in the areas with snails. Biodynamic preparations are made from medicinal plants (mostly from the winery property) including: sage, sorrel, willow, nettle, elm, oak bar, arnica, and blackthorn. Horses are used to plow between the rows, and of course, no pesticides come anywhere near these pristine vineyards. Grapes are harvested late, so that the wines gain in complexity. In the opinion of the Joly family, Chenin achieves complexity only when it is fully ripe. To harvest the most perfectly ripe berries, harvesting is done in several passes. In the winery, the process is as natural and hands-off as possible. There is no chaptilisation, only indigenous yeasts are employed, there is no settling of the grape must, and natural temperature variation is allowed during fermentation. Because fermentations take place naturally, they may last 2 to 4 months or more. While this is a terrifying prospect to most winemakers, it is simply how things are done at this famed estate.

It is also interesting to note that one of the enclaves of their vineyards, Coulée de Serrant, is one of only four monopoles in France that have achieved AOC status - the others are La Tâche and Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, and Chateau-Grillet in Condrieu. Joly's wine, Clos de la Coulée de Serrant is classified as Savennières-Coulée-de-Serrant.