Domaine de Bellivière, Coteaux du Loir “Vieilles Vignes Éparses”
Domaine de Bellivière, Coteaux du Loir “Vieilles Vignes Éparses”
Domaine de Bellivière, Coteaux du Loir “Vieilles Vignes Éparses”
Domaine de Bellivière, Coteaux du Loir “Vieilles Vignes Éparses”

Domaine de Bellivière, Coteaux du Loir “Vieilles Vignes Éparses”

Loire Valley, France 2018 (750mL)
$58.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Domaine de Bellivière, Coteaux du Loir “Vieilles Vignes Éparses”

Just below Jasnières lies Coteaux du Loir, another obscure, small, infinitely underrated appellation of the Loire Valley. Bellivière’s “Vieilles Vignes Éparses” comes from five scattered (“éparses”) plots that hold vines no less than 70 years old. 


Like Eric Nicolas’ “Calligramme” that’s also on offer, vinification for this cuvée is nearly identical. The biodynamic grapes are hand-harvested and meticulously sorted prior to entering the cellar. The fruit is slowly pressed over seven hours and fed into 500-liter French barrels to begin an ambient fermentation. After 24-30 months in oak, the wine is bottled with minimal sulfur. 


However, given that this cuvée is from a different appellation and vintage, the results are drastically different. In 2018, “Vieilles Vignes Éparses” delivered an unabashedly lush and concentrated Chenin Blanc loaded with 39 grams of residual sugar thanks to the warm and sunny growing season. The wine is unbelievably addicting: intoxicating waves of ripe quince, apricot, and mango crash over the palate followed by a soft, delicate trail of limestone minerality. It’s a hedonist’s dream. 

Domaine de Bellivière, Coteaux du Loir “Vieilles Vignes Éparses”
Country
France
Region
Loire Valley
Sub-Region
FranceCoteaux du Loir
Soil
Tuffeau
Farming
Certified Biodynamic
Blend
Chenin Blanc
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
500L French Barrels, 30% New
TEMP.
50-55
Glassware
Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2029+
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Grilled Bass w/ Orange-Saffron Butter Sauce

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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