Savennières Roche aux Moines 2023 Domaine aux Moines | Loire

Domaine aux Moines' Savennières Roche aux Moines , managed by Tessa Laroche, is one of the purest expressions of Chenin in the Loire. On the Roche aux Moines site, a spectacular hillside overlooking the Loire and exploited since the Middle Ages by the monks of the Saint-Nicolas d'Angers abbey, the wine estate meticulously cultivates an exceptional heritage. The forty-year-old vines thrive on an ideal South/South-West exposure and a typical soil of sandstone schist, rhyolite and clay . The 10 hectares are farmed organically, using biodynamic practices that respect biodiversity and natural rhythms. The grapes are harvested entirely by hand, carefully sorted to ensure that only perfect berries are left for pneumatic pressing.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : Savennières Roche aux Moines tells the story of a vineyard known since antiquity, shaped by monks in the XIIᵉ century, which continues today to deliver a wine of rare elegance. The quiet strength of this wine combines density and legibility, power and transparency. You can feel Tessa Laroche's determination to bring Chenin to life in its natural, unvarnished complexity. It's a great Loire white, thoughtful and gastronomic.

The nose opens with fresh pear and quince. Floral scents of hawthorn and acacia mingle with complex notes of preserved lemons and dried fruit. A discreet mineral impression evokes sandstone rock, giving the wine great precision without exuberance, true to the terroir that produced it.

On the palate, the wine's dense body is held in tension by delicate acidity. The wine reveals a satiny texture, with a slight saline bitterness typical of schist Chenin. The finish stretches out, taut and pure, with a discreet return of candied citrus and a lingering mineral impression.