This is a 100% Menu Pineau (locally called Orbois) wine that has a different name and taste profile depending on the results of the ageing process. The wine matures for 3-4 years in half-filled barrels, so that a flor of yeast develops, giving the wine salty and oxidised notes. But the wine can take two paths during its evolution. If the aromas and flavours are closer to the textured nuttiness of a Vin Jaune, it will be called Savasol– which is a word referencing the Jura. If the wine is more similar to a salty Spanish sherry, the wine will be called "Esquiss". The Esquiss is sometimes the result of late harvesting and grapes that might have a hint of botrytis. Both versions have a base of stone fruit and a minerality typical to this variety, and both age wonderfully.
Julien Courtois is the eldest son of one of the leaders of biodynamic grape farming in the Loire. In a small 5 ha estate called Clos de la Bruyère in the Sologne, Julien and his wife Heidi Kuka craft energetic wines filled with life and express the purest flavours of often-overlooked grapes. These are wines made with the utmost passion– from the vine to the bottle each stage of production follows, without compromise, a singular vision of natural winemaking. The idea is to return to the practices of generations past, using historic native varieties and the lowest intervention methods possible. This wine uses a very hands-off approach, letting flor develop in the wine and letting the wine in fact decided its’ destiny.
Terroir: Silica in surface and clay with flint (silex) in depth.
Average age of vines: 60 years old
Vinification: Grapes harvested manually at full maturity and controlled yields. Julien always presses the whites with the stems. Naturally fermented in old oak barrels and aged for three to four years in half-filled old oak barrels with no topping up. Only one racking, no filtration, no fining.
Match it with: tagine, poultry or fish with olive tapenade or a strong comté cheese and walnuts.
- White
- Orbois
- France, Loire
- Julien Courtois
- Dry
- 14.00%
- Ready to Drink And Will Improve