Clau de Nell | Loire | Grolleau IGP | 2018 | 750ml | bio

Beschreibung

Product description for Clau de Nell Grolleau IGP 2018 (bio)

Wine Information

Grolleau is an indigenous Loire grape variety, most commonly used in a sweet Rosé d’Anjou. The variety was almost never cultivated as a single variety until Claude and Nelly, the founders of Domaine Clau de Nell, did so and demonstrated that it could produce a wine of great character, both earthy and elegant, and worthy of ageing. The vines for this Grolleau are around 55 years old, but more have been planted in recent years. They grow in loamy, silty soil on sandstone, and in red flint on tuffeau (limestone). The yield is just 25 hl/ha. The grapes were harvested by hand in 12-kg crates. They were destemmed and fermented for 30 days with only occasional pumping over. Thirty percent of the wine was then aged for twelve months on the fine lees in Burgundian pièces aged five to seven years, and a further 70% in large foudres. The cuvée then matured for a further six months in stainless steel.

Color

Intense garnet red with purple reflections.

Nose

The 2018 Grolleau from Clau de Nell is a dark-fruity wine with a fantastic spiciness, which the wine only truly reveals upon decanting. Then you find notes of rich, ripe cherries and plums, wild strawberries, and raspberries combined with herbs, pepper, and warm, moist forest soil. The overall impression is both grounded and elegant.

Palate

On the palate, the 2018 Grolleau once again reveals itself as a completely unique Loire wine, somewhere between Cabernet and Pinot, somewhere between nobility and country life. The fruit combines wild strawberries and raspberries with plums and a few cherries; the wine appears lively and fresh, while the still-firm tannins pack a powerful punch. The Grolleau is always precise and structured, long and complex with a light peppery finish. The wine has aging potential for 15+ years. Along with Pineau d’Aunis, Grolleau is one of the most beautiful discoveries you can make in the Loire Valley.

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Keywords: Clau de Nell Grolleau IGP 2018 bio Loire France

Wine Advocate

Score: 93

The 2018 Val de Loire Grolleau opens with a light reduction on the nose that is clear, fresh and spicy, with fresh raspberry, blackberry and elegant flinty aromas. Silky, fresh and elegant on the palate, this is a fleshy, sweet, silky-textured but generous red with fine tannins and an elegant, crystalline and concentrated, tart finish. Needs some time, but this is excellent and generous. Tasted in June 2021.
Stephan Reinhardt

Producer website: https://claudenell.fr/en/home/