Domaine Mosse - Arena, Savennières, Loire, France (2021)

TASTING NOTES

A stunner. Chenin Blanc from schist and sandy soils. Broad mouthful (typical of Savennières) with its slightly bitter flavour. Mineral and tense with aromas of acacia, yellow fruits, quince and baking spices. Decant before serving or cellar for ten years or more. Very limited quantity, you have to be lucky...

Agnès and René Mosse, along with their sons Joseph and Sylvestre, live and work in the village of St-Lambert-du-Lattay, a village in the Coteaux-du-Layon area of Anjou. They adopted organic viticulture techniques from the start, plowing between and under the rows, and use biodynamic preparations to treat the vines and soil. In their area of "Anjou Noir" (Black Anjou, so called because of the dark color of the soils of slate and volcanic rocks), the soils are shallow, with subsoils of schist and sandstone, and varying amounts of clay on the surface.

With all the efforts put into vineyard work, it is equally important to them to vinify in a natural fashion, and they are particularly attentive to minimizing manipulations and the use of sulfur. All the wines are barrel-fermented and aged. The whites usually go through their malolactic fermentation. The barrels are renewed as needed, but are always older as to not impart oak flavours.