Domaine Des Roches Neuves, Clos de Lechelier, 2016

Blackcurrant, Earthy, Mineral

Loire / Red / Cabernet Franc / Biodynamic

The farming is certified-biodynamic and the fruit is harvested by hand. Whole-bunches are destemmed and fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in large, vertical oak foudres. After malo-lactic conversion the wine is aged 12 months in 1 200 L foudres and 600 L demi-muids, with no racking or bâtonnage, before bottling without fining or filtration and only minimal SO₂ addition. The thin Turonian limestone soils and white clay impart vibrant minerality, pure blackcurrant and earthy spice, lifted by fine, crunchy tannins and lingering salinity 

Notes on the producer

Thierry Germain founded Domaine des Roches Neuves in 1999, converting the estate to biodynamic certification in 2003. Working from plots of 40-year-old vines on clay-limestone slopes above the Loire, he keeps yields low (≈30 hl/ha) through green harvesting and strict pruning. In 2007 he built a gravity-flow cellar with high ceilings to minimize pumping, and in 2008 installed a pneumatic press for gentle extraction. All reds are vinified and aged in large neutral foudres, avoiding new oak, and the estate employs only indigenous yeasts and minimal sulphur throughout. Germain’s low-intervention approach yields terroir-expressive wines of elegance, balance and purity