Savennière Vieux Clos
First planted in 1130 by Cistercian monks, La Coulée de Serrant lies completely within the boundaries of Savennières and is one of the only three single estate appellations in France (along with Romanée Conti and Château-Grillet).
La Coulée de Serrant has been in the Joly family since 1962. It is the finest biodynamic vineyards in the world which fascinated many talented great producers such as Lalou Bize-Leroy and Anne-Claude Leflaive. Nicolas Joly began converting the family domaine to biodynamics in 1981. The 17.2 acres of vines at the Clos are between 35 and 80 years old, growing on steep south east-to-west facing schist and quartz soils, overlooking the Loire River. The wine ferments and ages in 500-litre barrels, with no more than five percent new oak in a vintage. No chaptilization, only indigenous yeasts are employed. The result of this non interventionist philosophy crafts one of the greatest white wines in the world!
Hand harvested, it takes over three to four weeks with up to five different passes, looking for the ripest fruit. The fermentation lasts two to four months in tanks and barrels with indigenous yeasts and no temperature control. The wine is aged for 6-8 months on fine lees in neutral 500L oak barrels (a max of 5% new). It’s bottled with a light filtration, no fining, and a low amount of sulfur. Total production averages 1,650 - 2,100 cases per year.