Jasnières

The Jasnières appellation d'origine contrôlée, recognized by decree since 1937, is a Loire Valley appellation whose production zone extends over 2 communes in the Sarthe department: Lhomme and Ruillé-sur-Loir. The Jasnières vineyard covers an area of around 65 hectares, and is part of the Coteaux du Loir appellation, with which it is the most northerly appellation in the Loire Valley. Developed by Cistercian monks in the Middle Ages, celebrated by Henri IV and finely mapped under Louis XIV, the vineyard has undergone a qualitative revival coupled with a profound revival of public interest since the 1970s. Quality estates such as Domaine de Bellivière are no strangers to this trend.

The Jasnières vineyard lies on a terroir of soft Turonian chalk, also known as tuffeau, decomposed into flinty clays giving steep, very stony soils that are difficult to work, but where the vines find a favorable soil in which to flourish. Protected by the Bercé forest to the north, and benefiting from adjacent valleys and south-facing slopes, the vineyard enjoys a temperate Touraine climate, broken down into numerous microclimates.

The Jasnières appellation produces exclusively white wines made from the Chenin blanc grape, also known as "Pineau de la Loire" or "Pineau Blanc": a vigorous, fairly productive variety that produces white grapes with tightly packed berries that turn a beautiful golden color when ripe. Jasnières wines are reputed to be among France's finest dry whites, characterized by flinty aromas that vary in intensity from vintage to vintage. They are enriched by notes of bark, honey, acacia or hawthorn. They also benefit from a remarkable ability to age for decades, even over a century. Jasnières wine has been called the youngest of old wines, because after 10 or 20 years in bottle, it reaches its peak while remaining very much alive. Depending on the year and the degree of ripeness of the berries, Jasnières wines contain varying levels of residual sugar, enabling them to be classified as sweet, semi-dry or dry.

A short history of Jasnières appellation d'origine contrôlée wines

Jasnières wine is conceived, developed and discovered only on an estate overlooking the Sarthe. The vineyard area is well-defined, on a single south-facing slope just 4 km long. The Jasnières appellation is a Coteaux-du-Loir AOC. This vineyard has been rooted in the Loire region for over 70 years. This exceptional estate is home to Chenin Blanc. Chenin blanc is the only grape variety authorized for Jasnières wines. The result is a dry, fruity wine with a strong gunflint minerality and surprising longevity.

Nose: The range of aromas is easily recognized by the smell. Acacia, citrus, apricot and hawthorn. These notes are generally present whenever you smell a glass of Jasnières wine. The smell of this wine is very pleasant and naturally invites tasting.

Palate: Jasnières wine is straightforward on the palate. At first, the wine's hardness may come as a surprise. Then comes a pleasant sensation of freshness. The balance is then found between the roundness of the first impression and the final sweetness. The end of the tasting is reminiscent of the fruit you smell.