2020 Domaine des Sablonnettes Zeste

WINEMAKER: Christine, Joel & Jeremy Menard
VARIETAL: Chenin Blanc
REGION: Loire Valley, FR
VITICULTURE: Certified Biodynamic

Coming off Christine and Joel's 20 year old vines grown on schist, 'Zeste' is a relatively new wine in their range as an offshoot from their more straight forward Chenin 'Le P'tit Blanc'. With a steep maceration of 20 days on skins and fermentation in stainless steel, 'Zeste' is a dry, more aromatic and tannic 100% skin contact Chenin Blanc. No added sulphur.

Christine and Joel Menard have been making wine in the heart of the Coteaux du Layon AOC for more than twenty years. Over the past few vintages they have welcomed their son Jeremy into the domaine to take care of the winemaking and the cellar. While the appellation is known for its sweet wines, Domaine des Sablonnettes have slowly cemented themselves over the years as a key producer of some of the most expressive and interesting dry wines in the AOC today. They are seen by many as the secret superstars of the region. They lovingly tend to their 13 hectares of vines, which have been managed and certified by biodynamic methods since 2007. Healthy soils and balance in their ecosystem has always been at the heart of their winemaking.