Clau de Nell | Loire | Grolleau IGP | 2016 | 1500ml | bio

Description

Product description for Clau de Nell Grolleau IGP 2016 (bio)Christoph Raffelt: 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.

Wine Information

Grolleau is an indigenous Loire grape variety that is mostly used in residually sweet Rosé d’Anjou. The variety had hardly ever been cultivated as a single varietal before Claude and Nelly, the founders of Domaine Clau de Nell, did so and demonstrated that it could produce a wine of great character that was as rustic as it was elegant and worthy of ageing. The vines for this Grolleau are between 60 and 90 years old, but more have been planted in recent years. They grow in clayey-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 over 30 days with only occasional pumping over. Thirty percent of the wine was then aged on its fine lees for 12 months in Burgundy pièces aged five to seven years, and the remaining 70% was aged in large foudres. The cuvée then aged for a further six months in stainless steel tanks.

Colour

Intense garnet red with purple reflections

Nose

The 2016 Grolleau from Clau de Nell captivates from the very first moment with its unique character. This wine is so spicy, so earthy, even down-to-earth, yet so elegant in its aroma. Alongside forest floor and stone, there is undergrowth and a hint of horse sweat, plenty of blackcurrants and elderberries, some blackberry, plum, and cherry. Everything seems to be together and interwoven, like a basket of dark fruits on a bed of earth after a light summer rain.

Palate

On the palate, the 2016 Grolleau continues its performance, so typical of the variety and now so rare. Nowhere else can you find this old red Loire variety with such precision and nobility. This is a rustic yet fine wine and thus somehow totally French; Because only there can you truly find this balance of rustic and noble character in a wine. Here, the aromas of earth and a hint of agriculture resonate, evoking the Gôut de Campagne that was once so typical from the Loire through Bordeaux to Roussillon, yet is becoming increasingly rare. Grolleau has aging potential for 15+ years. Along with Pineau d’Aunis, Grolleau is one of the most beautiful discoveries to be made in the Loire Valley.

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Keywords: Clau de Nell Grolleau IGP 2016 bio Loire France

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