Blue Bear Estate - Brézé - Puzzle 2023
Located in Montsoreau, Domaine de l'Ours Bleu cultivates a mosaic of Loire plots using organic farming methods, with one obsession: to reveal the limestone precision of Saumur's great terroirs. In Brézé, a legendary plateau set on tuffeau stone, Chenin acquires a singular straightness and energy that the estate seeks to preserve through low-intervention vinification and measured aging.
Puzzle brings together several plots of Chenin located on the Brézé hillside: so many complementary “pieces” (exposure, soil depth, age of the vines) brought together to deliver a complete reading of the place. Manual harvest at just the right ripeness, delicate pressing, slow fermentation to preserve the brightness of the fruit. The aging takes place on fine lees, in vats and/or neutral containers, in order to gain texture without marking the wine: the chalky minerality remains in the foreground and the salinity marks the finish.
Pale yellow color with silver highlights. Pure and precise nose: citrus (lemon, yuzu), pear, quince, white flowers, smoky/chalky hint typical of tuffeau. Taut, crystalline palate, with a fine touch; the heart of the fruit is clean, carried by a chiseled acidity and a salinity that lengthens the finish. A white that is both vibrant and deep, faithful to the spirit of Brézé: verticality, straightness and mineral momentum.
Perfect as a gourmet aperitif, sublime with fine oysters, shellfish, raw/cooked fish (sea bass ceviche, pikeperch with beurre blanc), creamed poultry and Loire goat cheeses. Serve at 10–11°C (not too cold), decant for 15–20 minutes if necessary. Aging potential: 6–10 years (and longer in a good cellar). The Puzzle cuvée showcases the synthesis of Brézé: a precise, saline and luminous Chenin, where the aging accompanies without dominating. A terroir white, designed for the table as much as for aging.
Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
