LA GRAPPERIE
L’Enchanteresse 2020
Loire, France
Pineau d’Aunis from Renaud’s oldest parcels, some of which are over a hundred years of age. Fermented as whole bunches for a fortnight and aged in old barrels for two years, this is wine of great balance, depth, power and poise. Possessing Pinot-esque notes of berries, spice and forest floor, it is remarkably fluid and precise, with every little detail in place. A true vin de garde, which will reward drinkers for decades to come.
Pineau d’Aunis
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Renaud Guettier is based in the village of Bueil-en-Touraine in the Coteaux-du-Loir, an area which is undoubtedly one of the Loire’s great terroirs.
Renaud trained as an agronomist specialising in plant physiology and in 2004 purchased half a hectare of old vines from his stepfather. Over the past decade he has acquired old parcels of Chenin Blanc and Pineau d’Aunis bit by bit and now farms a few dozen plots across five hectares, with an average vine age of eighty years.
The terroir is a combination of clay, flint and limestone and farming is meticulous, done organically, without the use of chemicals or pesticides. Grapes are hand picked and brought to his cave in a former quarry dug into the limestone cliffs where they are fermented, pressed manually and fed by gravity to the cellar below. There they see a year or two of élevage resting in old wooden casks, something Renaud considers vital when producing wines as he does, without anything added at any stage.
Renaud produces wines of uncommon power, balance and detail that possess a remarkable ability to age.