Bretonniere Cuvée Parcellaire Monopole - 2022
Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups
- Region
- France » Vin de France
- Type
- white still, dry
- Producer
- Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups
- Vintage
- 2022
- Grapes
- Chenin Blanc
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 1.5
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- 2 bottles
Ratings
This wine reveals a youthful exuberance, yet it charms with its inherent beauty. On the nose, there's a hint of oxidation, offering aromas of slightly bruised yellow fruits, quince, and a subtle chalkiness reminiscent of sea pebbles. Delicate notes of tilia honey and sunflower oil add complexity and some layers here. The palate is voluminous with a medium-to-full body, showcasing a slight oiliness and a well-defined structure. It concludes with a neat, slightly bitter finish, evoking the taste of crushed apple seeds. While it's still developing, this wine promises even greater elegance and complexity as it matures.
Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups
Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups has an interesting history. Although it's now associated with esteemed winemaker Jacky Blot, he wasn't the one who established the domaine. The viticultural maverick who brought La Taille aux Loups into being was Christian Prudhomme, a man from Bordeaux.
Prudhomme wanted to shake things up in Montlouis-sur-Loire. With experience working in the vineyards and cellars of Château Mouton-Rothschild, as well as at Opus One in California, he acquired 7 hectares of old vines in 1988 and set about making wine his way. This included reducing yields by thinning crops, harvesting into small crates to protect the fruit, and fermenting with indigenous yeasts in barrels purchased from Château d'Yquem. The resulting wines were reportedly a testament to his wild dedication.
However, the business collapsed within a year of starting up, for reasons that remain unclear. This was where Jacky Blot entered the story, marking the start of Montlouis' dynamic development, thanks in no small part to his ambitious and active efforts (alongside François Chidaine, another esteemed winemaker from Montlouis).
After working as a courtier for some time, Jacky Blot decided to look for vineyards of his own. The small domaine that Prudhomme had gathered together was available, and Jacky took up where his predecessor had left off, with just those 7 hectares of vines. It was around this time that he met Christophe Mesliand, the son of a viticultural family from Amboise. Jacky hired Christophe as his chef de culture, and the two have worked together at La Taille aux Loups ever since.
Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups is located just 11km from Vouvray, so the house's speciality is Chenin Blanc. However, Blot drew great inspiration from Burgundy, and many of the wines follow a single-vineyard, terroir-driven approach, with a focus on organic viticulture. These whites are known for their precision, length, complexity, and age-ability.
Sadly, Jacky Blot passed away on May 15, 2023. His legacy will live on through the wines produced by his son Jean-Philippe and the teams at Domaine de la Taille aux Loups and Domaine de la Butte (another winery he owned).