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

Description

Product description for Clau de Nell Grolleau IGP 2016 (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 that was both authentic and 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 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% was aged in large foudres. The cuvée then matured for a further six months in stainless steel.

Color

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, indeed down-to-earth, yet so elegant in its aroma. Alongside forest floor and stone, there is undergrowth and a touch of horse sweat, plenty of blackcurrant and elderberry, some blackberry, plum, and cherry. Everything seems to be harmoniously 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. It is a rustic yet refined wine, and thus somehow utterly French; for only there can you truly find this balance of rustic and aristocratic qualities in one wine. Here, the aromas again resemble the earth and a hint of agriculture, and thus precisely that Gôut de Campagne that was once so typical from the Loire through Bordeaux to Roussillon, yet is becoming increasingly rare. The Grolleau has an aging potential of 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

Wine Advocate

Score: 92

From 60- to 90-year-old vines yielding 30 to 35 hectoliters per hectare, the clear and fresh, medium-intense purple 2016 Vin de Loire Grolleau is enormously concentrated on the initially reductive and even feral, iodine and floral nose. Medium-bodied, tight and spicy on the palate, this is a lean, straight and tensioned, very characterful and tart Grolleau that is great yet was still without charm when tasted. After three days in the bottle, the wine opens like a very elegant and friendly Nebbiolo from the northern Alps, with floral aromas of roses, violets, tar and red cherries. On the palate, this is a pure, fresh and silky-textured, lush and fruity Grolleau with remarkable finesse, very fine tannins and a delicate, almost crystalline and filigreed finish. The fruit is perfectly ripe but also fresh and spicy and keeps its finesse and delicate character until the finish, which brings back the red fruit, tar and floral flavors as well as stimulating salinity. This is an excellent Grolleau! The finest Austrian Blaufränkisch red wines come to my mind…
Sylvain says, “This old-vines Grolleau demonstrates the hidden greatness of the grape variety that is part of our heritage….It is a deep and concentrated red wine to have with food.”
Stephan Reinhardt

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