From: Montlouis sur Loire, Loire Valley, France
Varietal: Chenin Blanc
Taste: This natural sparkling wine is a medley of ripe stone fruit flavors, bright acidity, and a creamy smooth finish. The nose offers an explosive mix of quince paste, marzipan, and lemon-verbena - a beautiful blend of Chenin and autolytic notes. It is the palate where the magic unfolds - starting broad and dense, becoming sleeker and saltier with a smoky and iodine finish. The remarkably creamy and lingering bubbles add to its allure.
Pairing: This sparkling wine carries notes of apples, brioche, hazelnut, almonds, and lime dancing on your palate. To savor the Nouveau Nez Pétillant to the fullest, pair it with dishes like Curry Shrimp Salad Stuffed with Avocados, Hainanese Chicken Rice (see below), or Peach Cobbler. Other pairing ideas include crab cakes, fried/baked/poached/steamed seafood dishes, Vietnamese or Thai cuisine, ceviche, and fresh cheeses.
Hainanese Chicken With Rice
By Mark Bittman
About. Nestled amidst the serene landscapes of Amboise, in the heart of the Loire Valley, France, lies a vineyard rich in heritage and historical significance - the La Grange Tiphaine. Helmed by Coralie and Damien Delecheneau, the vineyard's 2021 Nouveau Nez Pétillant has become the talk of the wine connoisseur circuit for its unique flavor and quality that's truly unparalleled.
The 16 hectares estate-owned vineyard, coupled with a few purchases of fruit from nearby growers for the Delecheneau line, comprise the source for the vines that yield the magic bottled in La Grange Tiphaine. Certified organic (AB-Ecocert) and following biodynamics (Biodyvin) for the estate wines, the vineyard management for the purchased fruit practices organic/sustainable techniques. The vineyard's soils, rich in clay, silex (flint), and silt on mainly limestone (tuffeau) beds, play host to a variety of grapes, including Chenin, Sauvignon, Cot (aka Malbec), Cabernet Franc, Gamay, and Grolleau. Their winemaking philosophy is clear and straightforward - spontaneous fermentation in concrete tanks, neutral oak barrels, or clay vessels, little to no fining, light filtration, and minimal SO2 at bottling.
The vineyard's roots date back to the late 19th century when Alfonse Delecheneau established it as a traditional polyculture with crops and livestock. Damien, the 5th generation of the family, took the reins in 2002 at 22 and embarked on a journey toward organic viticulture. It was in 2009 that Coralie joined him in this ambitious endeavor, having previously gathered experience together in wineries in the USA, France, and South Africa.
Remarkable achievements have marked Damien's journey as a winemaker. One of his most significant contributions is leading the appellation Montlouis-sur-Loire, one of the most progressive AOCs in the area, since 2016, when he took the helm from Francois Chidaine, a local grower and biodynamic pioneer.
A fun fact about La Grange Tiphaine is that the name is essentially the winery's address, with 'Grange' translating to 'barn' in French and Tiphaine denoting the traditional name of the place where the winery is located.
