Description
True genius is rare in the wine business- Paul Draper at Ridge, Yves Gangloff in the Northern Rhone, Michel Rolland in Bordeaux. It is to this company that Claude Papin of Domaine Papin in the Loire Valley belongs. Claude has a fanatical devotion to bringing out the character of each vineyard plot and refuses to be dictated what he should do in his own vineyard. For example, he refuses to pursue organic certification for his vineyards (despite the fact that he practices nearly organic agriculture already!) because he feels that those rules are too doctrinaire and might not suit the exact needs of his vineyards in a given year. Then on the other hand he refuses to plow between the rows of his vineyards because he feels upsetting the microorganisms in the soil would change the character of his wine. Both an iconoclast and deeply aware of tradition he treads the mad scientist region of the spectrum!
The results of his philosophy however are astounding. Claude’s Savennieres are without question the best I have tasted in more than 30 years in the wine business. Savennieres are dry, Chenin Blanc based wines from a smallish appellation in the Loire Valley. The wine, which comes from a single vineyard of barely 10 acres, shows both mineral and floral characteristics and is totally dry. The balance here is stunning and despite being a wine made from a relatively delicate grape, this is absolutely a food wine and is a great match to oysters, shellfish or just about any kind, pork, chicken and creamy sauces.
Quite literally a world class bottle of wine at a ridiculously affordable price and rated 92 points by Loire Valley specialist wine critic Chris Kissack (“the Wine Doctor” website).
The results of his philosophy however are astounding. Claude’s Savennieres are without question the best I have tasted in more than 30 years in the wine business. Savennieres are dry, Chenin Blanc based wines from a smallish appellation in the Loire Valley. The wine, which comes from a single vineyard of barely 10 acres, shows both mineral and floral characteristics and is totally dry. The balance here is stunning and despite being a wine made from a relatively delicate grape, this is absolutely a food wine and is a great match to oysters, shellfish or just about any kind, pork, chicken and creamy sauces.
Quite literally a world class bottle of wine at a ridiculously affordable price and rated 92 points by Loire Valley specialist wine critic Chris Kissack (“the Wine Doctor” website).