Nicolas Joly : Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 2023

Tasting characteristics and serving suggestions for Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 2023 by Nicolas Joly

Tasting

Appearance
The wine displays a pale yellow hue with golden highlights.

Nose
The nose reveals a complex and distinctive aromatic palette, with notes of yellow plum, quince and ginger wrapped in a saline touch. Aromas of fresh tobacco leaves and melted beeswax complete the bouquet. An herbal dimension runs through the whole, bringing freshness and character to the aromatic expression.

Palate
The palate is silky and restrained, supported by a rich, viscous texture. Flavors of ripe peach are lifted by subtle minerality. Vibrant, racy acidity gives the wine remarkable energy, leading into a long, elegant finish. Concentrated fruit is harmoniously balanced by typical oxidative notes and high acidity.

Food and wine pairings

Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 2023 pairs beautifully with poultry in creamy mushroom sauces, such as Anjou-style chicken. It also goes well with veal blanquette or fine fish such as pike-perch in beurre blanc, turbot with asparagus cream or sole with artichoke cream. Scallops and seafood make excellent pairings, as do aged cheeses such as Cantal, Salers, Comté or a well-aged dry goat’s cheese.

Serving and cellaring

To fully appreciate Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 2023, the service should be adjusted according to the wine’s age. From 0 to 5 years, open the bottle 24 hours in advance or perform a double decanting 2 hours before serving. From 5 to 10 years, opening 12 hours beforehand or decanting 2 hours before serving is sufficient. Beyond 10 years, open 2 hours in advance or decant just before serving. This wine has exceptional cellaring potential and can be kept until around 2055.

An exceptional chenin blanc from the Savennières Coulée de Serrant appellation

The estate

Le Domaine de la Coulée de Serrant, the exclusive property of the Joly family since 1961, covers 7 hectares in Savennières, in the Loire Valley. Nicolas Joly, owner and pioneer of biodynamics, converted the entire vineyard as early as 1981, making this estate a global benchmark. Today, his daughter Virginie Joly serves as winemaker and managing director. The estate enjoys the rare privilege of constituting an appellation contrôlée in its own right, growing exclusively chenin blanc on red schist and quartz soils.

The vineyard

The Savennières Coulée de Serrant vineyard extends over 7 hectares of steep slopes, mostly facing south. First planted as early as 1130 by Cistercian monks, it has been continuously under vine for nearly nine centuries. The vines, on average 55 to 60 years old, come from massal selections of chenin blanc. Soils composed of schist and quartz give the wine its distinctive minerality. Farmed biodynamically since 1981 and certified by Ecocert and Demeter, this Loire vineyard produces deliberately low yields of 20 to 25 hl/ha, well below the authorized 35 hl/ha.

The vintage

The 2023 vintage started early, with a persistent risk of frost lasting until the end of April, requiring constant vigilance in the vineyards. Summer was marked by unusually cool conditions and humid periods punctuated by sharp temperature swings, followed by a late-summer spell with a tropical character. The cool, wet month of September slowed the ripening of the grapes and generated pressure from rot, managed through rigorous sorting. Harvest took place from early September to mid-October over nearly six weeks, with meticulous berry selection. The vintage yield reached 32 hl/ha, producing an elegant, long and well-balanced wine, a refined expression of chenin blanc.

Vinification and aging

Vinification of Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 2023 follows a non-interventionist approach. No settling or cold stabilization is carried out. Fermentation occurs spontaneously thanks to indigenous yeasts, with no inoculation or temperature control. The wine is neither fined nor filtered. Malolactic fermentation was completed in full for this vintage. Aging took place for 11 months in barrels with no new wood, in the restored historic cellar of the former Vieux Serrant monastery, marking a return to its origins. Sulfur additions are made according to the needs of the harvest and the vintage.

Grape variety

100% chenin blanc.