Region: Loire Valley, France
Varietal: 35% Gamay, 35% Côt (aka Malbec), 30% Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes and Critical Acclaim: In the glass, the decision to allow natural fermentation comes across as an almost electric vibrancy— not so much a beverage but a living, breathing thing. Expressing all the lightness and elegance of its high percentage of Pinot Noir, plus excellent floral quality, it also reveals its leaner, more structured “Malbec” side, expressed through a sturdy wash of tannins that balance its succulent flavors of raspberries, black currant, and spice.
90 Points – Wine Enthusiast – 2022
“The Loire is famous for producing wines with an herbal and fruity quality, and this bottle captures that profile in a 35% Gamay, 35% Malbec and 30% Pinot Noir blend. Ruby in color, the wine has a savory nose of red raspberry, black cherry, dried field
grass, sage brush and violet blossom. On the palate, just-ripened red fruit is at the lead of the taste with slightly grippy tannins providing thrust on the finish, laced with pleasing chalk and limestone.”
Pairing: The archetypal “country wine,” intrinsically designed for drinkability, it would be ideal with roast chicken, any kind of barbecue— or, even better, a nice chalky slice of the well-known pyramidal Valençay cheese. This delicious Grilled or Oven-Roasted Santa Maria Tri-Tip by Kim Severson served with baked beans is an awesome pairing! Definitely go the extra mile and make the recommended All-Purpose California Beef Rub by Kim Severson.
About: Best known for its famous pyramid-shaped goat cheese, the Valençay area of France’s Loire valley also produces an equally singular (if much lesser known) array of wines. What they lack in name recognition, however, they more than make up for in terms of sheer deliciousness and everyday charm— which illustrates an important principle. More often than not, the hidden values of the world of wine are discovered along the road less traveled, far from the common crowd.
Geographically, Valençay is separated into two main areas, each straddling either side of the Modon, a winding tributary of the famous Cher river. The first, “Les Terrajots,” is characterized by stony, flinty clay soils known as “perruches,” which contribute structure and depth of fruit to the area’s wines. The second, located near the loge à Perin— a tiny hut constructed in the middle of the vineyards at the end of nineteenth century— is defined by “silex,” a mix of clay, limestone and silica, which imparts freshness and brisk minerality. Together, this unique geographic profile results in bright, flinty whites derived from Sauvignon Blanc, and— as evidenced by this exquisite example from the family-run Domaine Jourdain— mouthwatering reds, which are produced from the region’s three main varieties: Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Côt (the local name for Malbec).
Originally founded in 1960, the Jourdain estate has been run since 1990 by Sophie Siadou and her partner Francis Jourdain. Together, they sustainably farm 28 hectares of vines, from which they craft their brilliant range of honest, regionally expressive wines. Although the winery functions as a family affair, it was Sophie’s unique vision that informed this specific bottling, to which she has lent her name. Reflecting her holistic approach to the ecosystem of the vineyard and her careful attention to the nuances of her terroir, this wine was allowed to ferment naturally, using only the indigenous ambient yeasts present in the surrounding environment. The wine spends 18 months on its lees in older, neutral barrels.
More on this wine. “Sophie Siadou’s Valençay is the first example of this small appellation that I have ever tasted. Valençay is located due south of Cheverny and extends to seventy-four hectares of vines for the entire appellation. Madame Siadou’s 2019 is composed from a cépages of thirty-five percent each of Gamay and Côt, as well as thirty percent Pinot Noir. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in older casks for eighteen months prior to bottling. The 2019 Valençay is nicely ripe at 13.5 percent alcohol and offers up a bright, youthful nose of bitter cherry, pomegranate, a complex base of soil tones, hints of bonfire and a dollop of fresh herb tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely transparent in personality, with a good core, ripe tannins and a long, complex and well balanced finish. I like the spine of structure that the malbec adds here, which makes it a touch chewy out of the blocks, but augurs very well for its evolution in the cellar. Paired with the right food to buffer the tannins a touch, this is quite drinkable today but it will be even better with a few years’ worth of bottle age. A very stylish middleweight. 2021-2040. 91 Points. ” – John Gilman, View From The Cellar, May-Jun 2021 #93
