Poiesis 2017
Clos des Plantes (wunderkid Olivier Lejeune)
Anjou, Loire Valley
Buy it HERE: Richard Leroy's Neighbor on Montbenault - World Class Chenin That Only Insiders Have Heard Of
$34.99, $32.99 on 4+
My Tasting Note (just tasted)
100% Chenin Blanc. The nose is pure and fresh Chenin: the lanolin calling card is there, with loads of fresh green apple and pear, meyer lemon and its citrus florals, and a clear transfusion of minerality. The palate was med/med+ in body with med+ down the line for acidity, flavor density, and length. The minerality really comes through on the mid-palate and finish as this and the acidity are the core of this wine’s energy that light up the fruit and florals on gorgeous display.
A remarkable effort for the first vintage of this new vigneron. Drink now or hold 5-8 years. It could go more so I am being conservative since there is no track record. #CHENINCHENINCHENIN
This was tasted the other day in a Loire Chenin lineup of some of the greats from Chidaine, Huet, Belliviere and Baumard.
About the Wine & Winemaker
In the cellar, Olivier’s goal is to reduce the number of filters between the fruit and the wine. Once the Chenin is pressed on an old vertical press, fermentations start spontaneously on wild yeasts and in fiberglass tanks. Once the fermentation is ready, the must is transferred to neutral barrels by gravity and left untouched for 12 months until racking and bottling.
After visiting several vineyards, Olivier was able to take up parcels ideally located on the hill of Montbenault, on the edge of the plot of Richard Leroy. It is also Richard who testifies to the colossal work that Olivier Lejeune undertook to give back life to vineyards that were almost fallow. 1 year of pick, manual weeding, pulling … but the result is there.
“Poiesis” comes from the same Greek root as the word “poesy”. Poesy is the art or composition of poetry while Poiesis is the activity through which a person brings something into being that did not exist before. These concepts are at the heart of Clos des Plantes.
