Wineries, like all other living things, have life spans. Some are long-lived, multi-generational ventures, while others only last a few years. The majority of the latter fade away without much notice. Victims of the myriad pit-falls of trying to run a business based in nature.
Clos Roche Blanche was both legendary and short-lived. It was a driving force during its lifetime, creating some of the most dynamic and ground-breaking wines of the '90s and '00s. I'll never forget the first time I tasted their Sauvignon Blanc. It was breathtaking, deeply mineral and possessed an electric mouthfeel unlike any other SB I’d tasted to date. 2014 was its final vintage.
Fortunately, today’s wine is a seamless continuation of that legendary wine. A famed Sauvignon Blanc from a plot passed from Clos Roche Blanche to a young winemaker named Noëlla Morantin. She has taken the reins of this historic vineyard and continued to craft deeply textural, transcendent Sauvignon Blanc.
Today, I'm proud to offer the only bottles of this legendary wine in South Carolina. A wine very close to my heart. |
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100% Sauvignon Blanc, biodynamically grown on a mixture of clay, flint and limestone in the appellation of Touraine. Hand-harvested and fermented with ambient yeast. Aged on the lees in tank before bottling with a light filtration.
A pristine and crystal clear nose of Meyer lemon, white grapefruit, lime zest and a touch of crushed seashell. The palate is full of pure citrus fruit, crisp acidity and lush, crushed stone minerality. The texture is what really sets this Sauvignon Blanc apart.
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Noëlla has trained with and worked alongside some of the great names of the Loire. A couple of years with Agnès and René Mosse in Anjou led to her becoming the vineyard manager at Les Bois Lucas, then onto renting parcels of the aforementioned Clos Roche Blanche in Touraine.
She chooses to work under the more general Vin de France denomination rather than AOP as her wines stand apart from the perceived notion of Touraine. “If it doesn’t smell like cat piss, you don’t get the appellation” she quips - but only half jokingly. Noëlla seeks longer maturation periods in used barrels, meaning her wines are released much later than many other producers nearby. This patience is rewarded with sublime, other-worldly depth.
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Justin Coleman
Proprieter
Monarch Wine Merchants |
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