Old vines in Loire Valley

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Single-vineyard Anjou Blanc from a tiny 0.8-hectare east-facing schist parcel above the Layon. Vines 50 to 70 years old produce highly mineral, age-worthy dry Chenin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The estate's flagship cuvee, drawn from the oldest tuffeau-limestone parcels around the historic cellars. Demeter biodynamic Cabernet Franc with long ageing potential.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The Joguet flagship from an old-vines clay-limestone clos planted in 1953. Powerful, structured Cabernet Franc with cedar, graphite and a leathery, slowly-evolving finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cot (the Loire's name for Malbec) from ungrafted pre-phylloxera-style vines on sand soils. Dark-fruited, structured Touraine Cot with iron-mineral grip distinct from Cahors.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Bottled from ungrafted Cabernet Franc planted on sand soils. Lighter-footed and more aromatic than the limestone cuvees, with rose and wild raspberry over a fine-grained mineral spine.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

Dry Saumur Chenin Blanc from old-vine tuffeau parcels. Thierry Germain's Demeter biodynamic white shows orchard fruit, beeswax and saline length.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Single-vineyard Bourgueil from a tuffeau-limestone parcel at Benais. Yannick and Benoit Amirault's structured, age-worthy Cabernet Franc with cassis and graphite.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant

The Baudry single-vineyard on gravel-over-clay terraces above the Vienne, picked from vines planted between 1969 and 1980. Mineral, dark-fruited Cabernet Franc with savoury depth and an iron-tinged finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Cult Anjou Chenin from a 0.7-hectare parcel of centenarian vines planted 1910 on chalky-clay plateau. A few thousand bottles a year of cellar-worthy dry Chenin Blanc, virtually impossible to find.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Old-vine biodynamic Bourgueil from a tuffeau-limestone parcel. The Bretons' flagship: cassis, chalk and graphite Cabernet Franc with serious cellar potential.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cult Anjou Chenin from a 0.45-hectare parcel of 80-year-old vines on light limestone upstream of the Layon. The most lifted of Bernaudeau's three bottlings.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Gravel-terrace single vineyard along the Vienne, picked from vines averaging 50 years. Bright, lifted Cabernet Franc with rose, raspberry and pebble-mineral minerality.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Old-vine Cabernet Franc from clay-limestone parcels. The estate's structured mid-range cuvee, sitting between Cuvee Domaine and Clos de l'Echelier in profile.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cru Communal Muscadet from 60-year-old vines on gravel, clay, sand and granite. Originally called Granite de Clisson; 24+ months on lees give the cuvée structural depth.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Cru Communal Muscadet from gabbro, the decomposed blue-green igneous rock unique to Gorges. 70-year-old vines and long lees ageing produce incredible texture and tension.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury

Old-vine Muscadet from the historic Pierre de la Grange domain, the original Luneau family property. Saline texture and stony lift on a creamy lees-driven frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Old-vine Cabernet Franc from tuffeau limestone parcels at Ligre. Denser and more vertical than Les Chiens-Chiens, with dark berry fruit and a chalky, mineral spine.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Bottled from pre-phylloxera ungrafted Romorantin vines planted in 1850. The world reference for this rare Touraine grape, with quince, beeswax and saline length built for ageing.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Single-parcel silex Sauvignon from vines planted 1970. Crystalline citrus and grapefruit on a tense, intensely mineral frame; ages on the cellar floor for over a decade.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Old-vine cuvée from a single hectare of La Moussière planted in the 1930s. Beautiful freshness, distinctive floral notes and chalky minerality from biodynamic farming.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Pinard's barrel-fermented old-vine selection. Ripe peach and honeysuckle over a creamy, vanilla-toned palate that still retains Sancerre's chalky drive.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Cotat's southern Chavignol parcel: laser-like Kimmeridgian minerality, vibrant salinity and yellow fruits that evolve toward honey and rock with bottle age.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Pascal Cotat's south-facing Grande Côte sits on almost pure chalk, the same vein that runs through Chablis. Energy, precision and verve.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The most overtly mineral of Cotat's three single-vineyard bottlings, from a steep 0.7 hectare Chavignol parcel of fossilised pebbles. Rewards 15 years for creamy, saline depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Cooler-facing Chavignol parcel where Sauvignon picks up white-fruit chill and stony persistence. The most lifted of Pascal Cotat's single-vineyard whites.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant

Old-vine Sauvignon Blanc from flint-rich soils. The flint signature gives a smoky lift uncommon in Sancerre, balanced by Riffault's lees-driven texture.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Cult Sancerre from the steep Monts Damnés slope in Chavignol. Smoky, strict and chiseled, with deep minerality from Kimmeridgian marl over white Portlandian limestone.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Pascal Cotat's Monts Damnés sits across the family line from his cousin François. From 45-year-old vines on pure limestone, the wine is hand-harvested and barrel-fermented for ageability.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

Pinard's terroir blend across 40-year-old Caillottes vines in Bué. Lees creaminess and chalky minerality from a third-each tank, old barrique and demi-muid raising.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Pinot Noir from 50-year-old vines on pure silex. Burgundian in feel: macerated cherry and chestnut mushroom over cool, silken tannin and a smoky finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Pinard's flagship Sancerre Rouge from limestone-clay terroir in Bué. A brooding nose of pure red cherry fruit with chalky tannins and integrated oak.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Unfiltered, wild-yeast cuvée from 2 hectares of old-vine organic Sauvignon on pure limestone in Champtin and Bué. Pure expression of Caillottes terroir.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The estate's library-aged flagship from old-vine tuffeau-limestone parcels. Released only after extended cellaring, with cedar, chalk and a savoury, espresso-tinged length.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Bordeaux-trained Philippe Alliet's old-vine Chinon, picked from gravel terraces along the Vienne. Mid-weight, structured Cabernet Franc with dark fruit and iron-mineral spine.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Old-vine Chenin from a single clay-limestone parcel. Fresh and bright with lively persistent acidity; barrel and foudre raise give the wine textural complexity.