LABEL - Excellent as per photo

LEVEL - Excellent as per photo

CAPSULE - Excellent as per photo

BACK LABEL - As per photo if applicable

REGION/COUNTRY - LOIRE, FRANCE

1991 SAVENNIERES Roche Aux Moines

Notes from Vinography:
 
South-central France has many distinguishing characteristics, but the one that cannot be avoided and ignored, and certainly cannot be underestimated, is the Massif Central. This huge upwelling of ancient granite, and the limestone and sandstone it sloughed aside as it rose, present a formidable obstacle for anyone attempting to drive from, say, Clermont-Ferrand to Nimes. As large mountain ranges have a habit of doing, it also drives many of the weather systems in the area, capturing moisture, and unleashing it in torrents.
Somewhere in a sub-range of the Massif Central called the Cévennes, a trickle begins amidst granite and limestone, that through a great deal of luck, topography, and perhaps force of personality, decides to do what streams of water rarely do, and heads due North. 630 miles later, after passing through a large part of France and making a hard left at Orléans, the Loire river heads out to sea on France's western coast at the port of Nantes.

The Loire in addition to being its longest river, is one of France's defining characteristics, and is intertwined in both its history as well as its geography. It often demarcated the boundary between warring factions of one sort or another. In particular it was one of the major fronts of the wars between the Roman empire and the Gauls -- the veritable barbarians at the gate -- as the Romans expanded out of Italy to establish their empire. As the stories go, this particular front existed for so long that the Romans (when they weren't busy catapulting cauldrons of boiling oil on their foes across the river) planted grapes in the river valley, to ensure their ability to provide their soldiers with their daily rations of wine.

No one knows for sure whether these were the first vines planted in the area -- certainly the Loire valley has hosted wine grapes since at least the first century BC, and quite possibly much earlier -- but we do know through their records that the Romans, and their immediate successors, planted Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc on the schist covered hillsides surrounding the river.

Tasting Notes:
Medium yellow gold in the glass, this wine has a sweet and seductive nose of cold cream, honey, mineral, incense and petrol aromas. Over a bit of time, the petrol character subsided and was replaced by aromas of warm candle wax and sawdust. In the mouth the wine is bursting with acidity and minerality almost to the point of being too racy, but never quite crossing the line. It is quite dynamic in its flavor profile including tart flavors of grapefruit zest and wet stones along with pungent flavors of old parchment and what I can only explain as what a pineapple would taste like without a trace of sugar. Finally there is also a taste that is a close analog to the smell of candle wax. The finish is long and steely, but its austerity never reaches the point of unpleasant.

Food Pairing:
The Laroches suggest a pairing with goat cheese, and I couldn't agree more with that recommendation. This wine both cuts through the tart creaminess of the cheese and adds another layer of complexity on top of it.

750ml

12.5% Alcohol