© 2004, Jon-David Headrick Selections, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie

           {domaine de la fruitière}

 

Anjou & Coteaux du Layon

           {domaine vincent ogereau}

 

Chinon

           {domaine de la noblaie}

 

Bourgueil

           {domaine pierre-jacques druet}

 

St. Nicolas de Bourgueil

           {domaine frédéric mabileau}

 

Savennières

           {domaine damien laureau}

 

Fiefs Vendéens

           {domaine saint nicolas}

 

Vouvray

           {domaine du viking}

           {la craie}

 

 

 

 

 

 

From its humble beginnings southwest of Lyon (in an area not far from the Northern Rhone) to where it gently glides out to sea in the Atlantic, the Loire river cuts through some of the most diverse and complex soil structures of any wine region in the world.  As it slowly moves north through the Cote Roannaise just west of Beaujolais, it passes sand and clay banks on which old vines of Gamay and Pinot Noir are planted, picking up bits of earth for the journey.  As it passes Sancerre and Pouilly it scratches out limestone from the hillsides and carries these deposits to the Southwest as it makes the turn for Vouvray.  There, bits of tuffeau chalk fall away into the current and are swept downstream toward Bourgueil where the sandy marl of the hillsides wait.  Under the Saumur castle, it turns North again on the way to Angers.  At Savennieres, it takes more work to wrestle deposits of schist from the rocky hills, but occasionally the Loire succeeds, moving these downstream toward the sea.  Around Nantes, as a sort of farewell present, the earth gives up bits of mica and gneiss to the fleuve.  And then it is gone, mingling with the salty depths of the Northern Atlantic as it has for centuries. 

 

The Loire is special.  The river has spawned vineyards that produce the greatest diversity of wines anywhere in France, and perhaps in the world.  These are wines, when produced from older vines and crafted by artisans, that define elegance and restraint in the glass.  These are wines that stay in the background, waiting to be noticed, and when they are, they make us wonder why we never tasted them before.  These are wines that deserve to be tasted by lovers of wine.  These are wines that I love.

 

 

With my portfolio of Loire valley properties, I seek to present a comprehensive collection of terroirs, varietals, styles, and regions.  As the portfolio grows, it will take in more emerging regions as well as established ones, but always seeking to represent properties which are worthy of our attention, not simply filling a category. 

 

The properties with which I work are consumed with making “true” wines, wines which are true to where they come from, true to the earth, and true to the winemaker’s obsession with quality.  Many of them practice organic farming and some practice biodynamics in their viticulture.  All are leaders in their appellations and harvest lower yields than their neighbors to ensure a premium product.  Above anything else, they are farmers, and they understand that wine is made in the vineyard, not the winery. 

 

In selecting properties for the portfolio, I seek purity first, eschewing heavy-handed usage of oak and opting instead for wines of excellent ripeness, minerality, and above all, balance.  The presence of balanced acidity is absolutely crucial in my view to world-class wine, and I’m not afraid to represent wines that have startling acidity if there is fruit to support it.

 

If this appeals to you, I welcome you to the acid revolution, and invite you to taste the wines of the amazing Loire.