Domaine aux Moines sits right on the banks of the Loire River, just a few miles southwest of Angers. Winemaking in Savennières dates back to at least 276 AD and gained a stronghold as monks propagated sacramental vines. When Savennières became an AC in 1952, two sub-appelations were granted as well: La Roche aux Moines and La Clos de la Coulée Serrant. The two small sub-appeliations sit right next to each other, and both produce extraordinary wines today.
In 1981, Monique Laroche began winemaking at Domaine aux Moines, and today she works with her daughter Tessa. The mother-daughter team works mostly with chenin blanc but has a small amount of cabernet franc. The chenin blanc is all hand harvested at low yields. Their harvest is a longer process-- a series of selections ('passes') of the vineyard that occur over several weeks. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, the wine then ages in a blend of tank and wood. This 1994 was farmed sustainably, but since 2009 they've been in conversion to organics (perhaps their neighbor Nicolas Joly has something to do with it)...
Domaine aux Moines 'Roche aux Moines' 1994 (Savennières, Loire, France)
This wine was lovely-- it was rich and just slightly off-dry, but barely noticeable because of the taut, balancing acidity. In addition to soft fruit characteristics, there are plenty of secondary aromas such as dried leaves, dried meats, and wet earth. I had this one with spicy seafood and it was delicious-- the earth aromas brought out all the umami flavors in the food, and the slight sweetness tempered the heat.
An excellent resource for Savennières (& the Loire in general) can be found here.
In 1981, Monique Laroche began winemaking at Domaine aux Moines, and today she works with her daughter Tessa. The mother-daughter team works mostly with chenin blanc but has a small amount of cabernet franc. The chenin blanc is all hand harvested at low yields. Their harvest is a longer process-- a series of selections ('passes') of the vineyard that occur over several weeks. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, the wine then ages in a blend of tank and wood. This 1994 was farmed sustainably, but since 2009 they've been in conversion to organics (perhaps their neighbor Nicolas Joly has something to do with it)...
Domaine aux Moines 'Roche aux Moines' 1994 (Savennières, Loire, France)
This wine was lovely-- it was rich and just slightly off-dry, but barely noticeable because of the taut, balancing acidity. In addition to soft fruit characteristics, there are plenty of secondary aromas such as dried leaves, dried meats, and wet earth. I had this one with spicy seafood and it was delicious-- the earth aromas brought out all the umami flavors in the food, and the slight sweetness tempered the heat.
An excellent resource for Savennières (& the Loire in general) can be found here.
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