In the glass

Medium-bodiedLow tanninHigh acidityDryLong finish

Aroma: white peach, honeysuckle, lemon, stone

Palate: citrus, stone fruit, saline mineral, honey

Single-vineyard Anjou Blanc from a fractured basalt parcel atop the hillside. Microclimate warmth gives the wine ripe stone fruit; basalt bedrock keeps chalk minerality.

What it pairs with

  • Pike-perch with beurre blanc
    Loire freshwater fish in butter sauce meets the wine's stone-fruit depth and saline lift.
  • Roast capon with truffles
    White-meat poultry and earthy truffle bridge to the wine's stone-fruit and basalt mineral.
  • Lobster thermidor
    Creamy gratin shellfish demands the wine's body, stone fruit and saline finish.
  • Aged Comté
    Hazelnut crystallisation in 24+ month Comté finds the wine's stone fruit and honey lift.

History

Les Rouannières is one of Pierre-Bise's finest single-vineyards. The parcel sits at the crest of the hillside on fractured basalts with a 20-kilometre view facing south, in a microclimate warmer than surroundings.

  1. 1995 — Single-vineyard Les Rouannières bottling established by Claude Papin

Facts

Producer
Château Pierre-Bise
Grapes
Chenin Blanc (100%)
Classification
Anjou AOC
Oak
Fermented in older oak barrels and demi-muids; aged around 12 months on fine lees
ABV
13.5%
Price
EUR 25 to 40 at retail
Drinking window
3-15 from vintage
First vintage
1995
Organic
ORGANIC CERTIFIED
Vegan
Yes (no animal-derived fining)

Scores

  • Vinous 93 (2020 vintage, reviewed 2023)

Frequently asked about Anjou Blanc Les Rouannières

What does Pierre-Bise Les Rouannières taste like?

White peach, honeysuckle, lemon and stone on the nose; citrus, stone fruit, saline mineral and honey on the palate. Medium-bodied with high acidity and a long, layered finish.

When should I drink Les Rouannières?

Drink between 3 and 15 years from vintage. The basalt-and-clay terroir gives the wine ageing capacity; mature bottles develop honey, stone-fruit and waxy depth.

Where is Les Rouannières grown?

At the crest of the hillside in the Anjou AOC, on fractured basalts with thin clay over a south-facing exposure and a microclimate warmer than surroundings.

Is Pierre-Bise Les Rouannières vegan?

Yes. The estate is organic-certified and the wines are produced without animal-derived fining agents.

Tags

← Back to wines in Loire Valley