Belliviere Coteaux du Loir L’Effraie 2020

Who: Belliviere
Where: Loire Valley, France
What: Semi-Sweet Chenin Blanc

Certified-biodynamic Bellivière owns and farms 60 parcels in 5 villages across the Jasnières and Coteaux-du-Loir appellations in this northernmost part of Touraine.

Annually they bottle a younger-vine and an older-vine Jasnières and a corresponding pair of Coteaux du Loir. Named for the owls frequenting the woods around the vineyards, “L’Effraie” is the younger-vine rendition of Coteaux du Loir. Note that “young vine” by Bellivière standards, is anything under 50 years old, so these vines range from 10-50 years old, trained in gobelet mainly and planted on flinty, pebbly, sandy clay soils over tuffeau (soft limestone).

The wine is aged in the same barrels as fermentation. The 2020 is sec tendre with 16 grams/liter residual sugar and 3.54 grams/liter acidity.