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THE DOMAINE OVER THE SEASONS
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92 points : Sancerre La Croix Renaud 2015
Clรฉment & Florian Berthierย
With its year in oak, this wine has richness and layers of ripe, mature fruits. Tannins give backbone to the ripe spice, taut acidity and minerality that support the weight of the smoky stewed black currants and berries.ย ย
17/20 : Terre de Silex 2017 Coteaux du Giennois Blanc
Clรฉment & Florian Berthier
From very specific soils around the town of St-Pรจre. The vines are planted in clay soil with an unusual concentration of flint (silex) from the Cretaceous period.
Pungent and very mineral on the nose. Pure and resonant โ really grabs the inside of the mouth. Very textured with lots of green fruit flavours. Not quite ready although the fruit is fairly opulent.
Des cuvรฉes faciles ร boire comme ses Cรดteaux du Giennois (petite appellation limitrophe ร Sancerre) blanc, rouges et mรชme rosรฉs. On retrouve aussi des Giennois parcellaires* ( *vin issu dโune seule et mรชme parcelle ) dotรฉs dโune rรฉelle finesse et retranscrivant lโempreinte et la typicitรฉ de chacun des sols : Silex, Marnes, Caillottes.
En 1983, Jean-Marie Berthier a crรฉรฉ de toutes piรจces le domaine des Clairneaux sur Sancerre. En 1998, il a repris le vignoble paternel de Montbenoit dans les coteaux du Giennois. Clรฉment, le fils aรฎnรฉ, a rejoint en 2012 lยexploitation, prรฉcรฉdant son frรจre cadet Florian. Avec maintenant 17 hectares au compteur, une nouvelle dynamique est en marche.
17/20 Terre de Caillotte 2017 Coteaux du Giennois Blanc
Clรฉment & Florian Berthier
From soils in Pougny with a particular concentration of small limestone pebbles, known in the region as caillottes.
More muted and somehow ‘drier’ than the Terre de Silex on the nose though still very mouth-filling on the palate. Really very well made indeed. Classic rather than new wave but very pure and expressive. Long and satisfying.
16/20 Sancerre Blanc 2018 Domaine des Clairneauxย
Vignobles Berthier
From the Berthier family, this carries the name Jean-Marie Berthier on the label. From Ste-Gemme and Sury-en-Vaux, small villages located in the heart of the Centre-Loire area, half from silex and half from limestone.
Much lighter and milder than the Vignobles Berthier’s Giennois wines! Just a little skinny. Perfectly fine and smoky but without the fruity core of their Terres de… Giennois bottlings.
Notre dรฉgustation a mis en รฉvidence la qualitรฉ dโensemble de leur production : nos coups de cลurs passรฉs nโรฉtaient donc pas des accidents. Elle nous a aussi permis de nous intรฉresser ร la dรฉclinaison des terroirs quโils proposent en Cรดteaux-du-Giennois, avec leur ligne de parcellaires (Silex, Marne et Caillotte).
“Le Coteau du Giennois explose de fruit et de fraรฎcheur, mais en plus il nous apparait comme un pur challenger des deux appellations installรฉes (Sancerre et Pouilly-Fumรฉ). Waouh, belle expรฉrience. Immรฉdiatement, nous les fรฉlicitons. Bravo la relรจve !”
90 points : L’Inรฉdit 2015 Coteaux du Giennois Pinot Noir
Clรฉment & Florian Berthierย
One of a range of single-parcel wines from this producer, this is light and fruity. A hint of tannins gives it shape but with its four years aging and ripe cherry flavors.
92 points : Terre de Silex 2017 Coteaux du Giennois Blanc
Clรฉment & Florian Berthierย
Part of the range called Les Parcellaires, this wine celebrates the flint soil often found in the central Loire vineyards. It gives a mineral character to the wine that balances with the ripe apple and spice flavors to give a juicy, lightly structured aftertaste.
91 points : Terre de Marne 2017ย Coteaux du Giennois Blancย
Clรฉment & Florian Berthierย
This wine is all about fruit. Its bright texture and acidity are part of the crisp lemon, green-plum and apple flavors that overflow from the glass. To support this, the wine has a mineral edge that will allow it to age longer.
Vin blanc domaine de Montbenoit, parmi les coup de cลur du guide Hachette.
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