Nicolas Joly : Les Vieux Clos 2023

Tasting characteristics and serving suggestions for the 2023 Les Vieux Clos cuvée from Nicolas Joly

Tasting

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

Nose
The nose reveals a complex, expressive aromatic palette marked by exotic notes of ginger and coriander. This is complemented by aromas of candied lemon, white flowers and citrus zest, accompanied by root and herbal nuances as well as ripe fruit.

Palate
On the palate, the wine shows a broad, fresh, mineral structure. A saline tension characterizes the whole, balanced by flavors of very ripe fruit. The finish offers impressive length with a persistent mineral dimension.

Food and wine pairings
This Savennières is a perfect match for Angevin-style poultry served with a mushroom cream sauce, veal blanquette or pike-perch with beurre blanc. It also pairs elegantly with turbot in an asparagus cream sauce, fillet of sole with artichoke cream, scallops and other seafood. For cheese, favor Cantal, Salers, Comté or a very dry goat's cheese.

Serving and cellaring
For Les Vieux Clos 2023, it is recommended to open the bottle 24 hours before serving, or to carry out a double decanting 2 hours before tasting for wines aged 0 to 3 years. This wine can be cellared until around 2035 and beyond.

A biodynamic Savennières of remarkable purity

The estate
Owned by the Joly family since 1961, Domaine de la Coulée de Serrant covers 7 hectares within the Savennières appellation in the Loire. Nicolas Joly, a former banker turned winegrower, runs this legendary estate alongside his children Virginie and Vincent. A pioneer of biodynamics since 1981, he grows exclusively Chenin Blanc on a terroir of schist and volcanic rock first planted by Cistercian monks in 1130. La Coulée de Serrant constitutes a controlled appellation unique in the world, producing three cuvées under certified biodynamics, with hand harvesting and yields limited to 28–30 hl/ha.

The vineyard
The vineyard for Les Vieux Clos extends over 5.77 hectares within the Savennières appellation. The vines, with an average age of 35 years, are planted on gentle east-facing slopes. This Loire terroir is composed of schist and sand. The estate has practiced biodynamic viticulture since 1981, with Ecocert and Demeter certification. The vines come from massal rather than clonal selections.

The vintage
The 2023 vintage proved generous but demanding. After an early start to the season that escaped the risk of spring frosts, summer was marked by cool, wet spells and sharp temperature variations. A cool, wet September increased the pressure of rot, making rigorous sorting necessary. Harvest took place from early September through mid-October.

Vinification and aging
Vinification of Les Vieux Clos 2023 is carried out in a natural way, without settling or cold stabilization. Fermentations start spontaneously thanks to indigenous yeasts, with no inoculation or temperature control. The wine is not fined. Sulfur is used as needed, depending on the harvest and vintage. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in full (100%). Aging takes place for 8 months in used oak barrels. The wine is not filtered.

Grape variety
100% Chenin Blanc.