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Item Number: 7123
UPC: 0805109715110
Country: France
Region: Loire
Appellation/AVA: Touraine AOC
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2009
Grape(s): 80% Chenin Blanc / 20% Chardonnay
Type: Wine - Sparkling
Bottle Size: 750ml Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 12.5
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Limestone
Tasting Notes: Pale yellow color with golden hints. Pleasant nose, with some white fruits and vine peaches aromas. Its fine bubbles will enchant you.
Winemaking Notes: This wine is made according the traditional method, the same than the one used in Champagne. The wine stays on its lees for 24 months in deep cellars dug in the chalk. After which, the wine is aged in bottle for another 12 months before shipped.
About Touraine: The
area around the old French city of Tours in the Loire Valley is called
the “Garden of France”, a fertile, verdant area which is home to vines
and fruit trees alike. It is also the area that was liked so much by
French royalty and aristocrats that they built many castles along the
river (think Chambord and Chenonceau) to name a couple. While the
geographic region of Touraine includes the famous vineyards of Vouvray,
Montlouis, and Chinon, there is also an AOC Touraine which produces
white, red, and sparkling wines. Touraine is one of the few places in
France that allows wine varietals to be placed on the front label.
For
white grapes, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay are
principally grown and are as often blended as they are vinified
separately. For red wines, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot
Noir, Côt (the local name for Malbec) and Pineau d’Aunis (an indigenous
varietal) are planted. The sparkling wine of the zone is often based
around Chenin Blanc with Chardonnay and/or Sauvignon Blanc added to
added complexity.
About Jean-Francois Merieau:
Jean-François Merieau is as
ambitious as they come. Before coming back to settle at his family’s
property in the Touraine just east of Tours, he wandered the world
tasting wine and spent time working at several wineries outside of
France including an extended stay in South Africa. It was this exposure
that drives his creativity today. Instead of blending his wines,
Jean-François produces most of the varietals with which he works in
single varietal bottlings, often from a single parcel. This
terroir-specific approach allows us to taste singular wines of great
expression. He is converting the entire production to organic
viticulture.
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