Nicolas Joly - Les Vieux Clos 2024
Les Vieux Clos 2024 is part of the mythical universe of Coulée de Serrant, one of the most emblematic estates of the Loire. Located in Savennières, on the schistous slopes overlooking the Loire, the Joly family estate is world-renowned for its historic commitment to biodynamics and for the uniqueness of its great Chenins. Alongside the legendary monopole appellation Coulée de Serrant, Les Vieux Clos offers a more accessible yet deeply identity-driven interpretation of the Joly style. This cuvée carries the Savennières appellation and expresses a terroir that is both stony, sunny, and mineral. The soils of schist, quartz, and sands give the wine a particular tension, a saline energy, and great aging potential. The 2024 vintage highlights a lively, precise, and vibrant expression of Chenin Blanc. It is a great Loire white with a strong personality, designed for lovers of dry, deep wines that are inhabited by their terroir.
The Les Vieux Clos 2024 cuvée is made exclusively from Chenin Blanc, the king grape of Savennières. The plot of about 5.5 hectares, exposed rather to the east, yields slightly less advanced maturities than those of Coulée de Serrant, which enhances the mineral and chiselled dimension of the wine. The grapes are hand-harvested in several passes to seek precise maturity and a complete expression of Chenin. The vinification respects the spirit of the estate, with a low-intervention approach and a desire to let the soil speak before the technique. Fermentations can take place in wood or tank, while aging in used oak barrels supports the texture without marking the wine with woodiness. This patience results in a dry white that is both ample, upright, and deeply saline. Les Vieux Clos 2024 thus combines the natural richness of Chenin, the energy of Savennières, and the biodynamic signature of the Joly family.
In the glass, the wine reveals an expressive, evolving, and intensely mineral white. The nose evokes quince, ripe pear, orange zest, flower honey, white flowers, and a touch of flint. The palate is upright, taut, and structured, with ample matter perfectly held by a saline framework. The wine benefits greatly from aeration, gradually revealing nuances of fine wax, ripe citrus, soft spices, and warm stone. The finish is long, persistent, slightly iodized, with beautiful bitters that prolong the tasting. This Savennières can be enjoyed young after early opening, but it also deserves a few years in the cellar to gain complexity. It will ideally accompany a noble fish, scallops, lobster, creamy poultry, aged goat cheese, or vegetable cuisine centered around root vegetables.
Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
