Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups Clos du Hochet Remus Montlouis-sur-Loire 2020

Jacky Blot, the vintner behind Domaine de la Taille Aux Loops, began his career in the wine trade as a courtier, a role in the wine business that is often overlooked. The position is a bit incognito, hidden between the château and the negociant, and acts as the catalyst between both sides of a business deal. They feed information to negociants on the general state of the château, and they report on who is performing well in the marketplace. This role requires a level of savvy and gave Jacky a strong intuitive understanding of the wine business that he often credits for his success today as a vintner. In 1989, Jacky purchased 20-acres in Montlouis-sur-Loire. Since then, he has tripled that area to include vineyards in Vouvray and Bourgueil. New on the scene and without any family reputation to spoil, Jacky showed zero reservations about causing a few waves in the local community with his approach to viticulture and winemaking. "Outrageous" techniques such as organic viticulture, plowing rather than using herbicides, not fertilizing the vines, spontaneous fermentations and, most scurrilous of all, barrel fermentation and barrel ageing, were the cause of many hard looks from his neighbors. But today Jacky has proved that his commitment to his philosophy has paid off, and his wines are some of the most exciting and trail-blazing of the region. 

In 2010, he bought Clos de Mosny, 30-acre walled vineyard which is now his largest monopole in the Loire. It is planted to old Chenin vines of various ages and various clones that thrive in clay and flint soils. His Rémus is made from a second, slightly later harvest through this vineyard from 50 to 80-year-old vines that are low-yielding but produce highly concentrated berries. Spontaneous fermentation takes place in barrels in his cool underground cellar with absolutely no intervention, so fermentation is very slow, taking anywhere from four to nine months. The wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation, there is no barrel stirring, and there are no added sulfites during élevage - this is truly a hands-off, holistic wine! It then spends twelve months in barrel, of which only a judicious 20% is new. The resulting wine has an incredibly fresh nose with notes of melon, pear, citrus, and saline. The palate hits with a mouth-watering level of acidity driven by notes of lime zest and Meyer lemon. The bone-dry finish showcases a hint of creaminess and texture which elevates the wine to an experience beyond just a jolt of acidity and finishes with a nectarine sweetness that will convince you of the quality of this producer. Serve with a butter lettuce salad dressed in a lemon cream dressing for the perfect pairing!