Chateau Plaisance, Ronceray Blanc 2020, Loire

The estate, 25 hectares in total with 17ha in current production, is comprised entirely of plots within either Grand Cru Quarts de Chaume, Premier Cru Chaume or Savennières. With significant land on the ‘Butte de Chaume’ and small parcels in ‘Mauriers’ and ‘Gabillards’ in Savennières this is some fairly serious terroir and yet a significant proportion of what they produce is deliberately declassified to simple ‘Anjou Blanc’. The reason? Chaume and Quarts de Chaume are appellations for sweet wines only and owner Vanessa Cherruau sees her future mainly in producing dry wines from these famous sites.

Vanessa Cherruau is a young live wire with a vision, and she’s in the process of leading a revolution! Taking Biodynamic grapes from Grand / Premier Cru sites in Quarts-de-Chaume & Chaume - as well as some purchased Bonnezeaux fruit - she proceeds to quietly wave 2 fingers at the ‘system’, vinifies them dry, and declassifies them down to Anjou Blanc (or the unofficial “Ronceray”). The wines are full of emotion, honeyed weight and crystalline fruit purity with clever marriage of subtle old oak and gunflint concentration. It’s an exciting and quite delicious drink right now but there’s surely an incredible story to unfold here over the next few years as well. Beautiful, serious wine. 100% Chenin Blanc

The oak influence adds subtle power to accompany the bright citrus fruits and razor sharp acidity. Try with smoked salmon, or, of if you're feeling flush some lobster tails.