La Grapperie La Belle Egarée
Regular price $42.00
Winemaker: Renaud Guettier
Appellation: Coteaux de Loir, Loire Valley, France
Grape Varieties: Chenin Blanc
Vineyard: blend of different sites in Bueil-en-Touraine and Dissay-sous-Courcillon. Vines aged 10 – 115 years, grown on silex, clay, and limestone
Cellar: The grapes, after being harvested and selected by hand, undergo a long pressing. The fermentation happens naturally and is followed by 12 months of aging on lees, in oak barriques. Bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.
Renaud Guettier is a farmer who started the La Grapperie winery in 2004 with very little previous winemaking experience. Today, he works a bit more than 4-hectares of vines where everything is farmed according to organic principles and harvested by hand. Renaud was the first in the Coteaux de Loir AOC to plow his vineyards with a horse—where he spends countless meticulous hours. His vines are spread over 15 tiny plots that sustain a diversity of microclimates along the left bank of the Loire River. These plots enable Renaud to create a spectacular balance with his wines. The majority of his vines are Pineau d’Aunis, however, he also grows some Malbec (Côt), Gamay, Grolleau, and Chenin Blanc. Renaud’s wines are some of the most impressive and powerful wines being crafted in the Loire.