Anjou « Wilson on Wines

Nicolas Reau Clos des Treilles Anjou 2015

Posted by admin on January 25, 2018

Nicolas Reau Clos des Treilles Anjou 2015

Having tasted some very strange natural wines, I have to admit I put off tasting this for a while; my mistake! This was amazingly good – it had the lightly honeyed touch of Chenin Blanc, a lovely quality of soft nuanced pear and quince fruits, well-balanced by a subtle mineral freshness. A seductive complex elegant wine that evolves with every sip.

Drink with lighter fish dishes. It went nicely with our Danish fishcakes – Fiske Frikadelle – boiled potatoes, peas and a homemade Remoulade.

Ex jazz player Nicolas Reau makes natural wine, intervening in the process as little as possible. This Chenin Blanc, from clay soils with some flint and limestone, is made from organically-grown grapes. Natural yeast are used for a fermentation without any temperature control; the wine is neither fined nor filtered, and only a small dose of sulphur is added prior to bottling.

€24.95 from Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Green Man Wines, Terenure; 64Wines, Glasthule.

Tags: Anjou, Chenin Blanc, Clos des Treilles, Le Caveau, Nicolas Reau

Posted in: Blog, Top Drop

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Anjou Chenin Blanc 2013, Lot12 small parcel, Aldi

Posted by admin on April 22, 2016

Anjou Chenin Blanc 2013, Lot12 small parcel, Aldi
13%
€12.99 from Aldi

I hesitated to make this a wine of the week, not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I was afraid you wouldn’t. It is made by Ch. de Fesles, one of the top estates in this part of the Loire, and producers of some very good dry and sweet wines. You would expect to pay €20 and more for most of their wines. This wine is classic Loire Chenin Blanc, with a fragrant nose, followed by quince and green apples overlaid with honey and beeswax on the palate. It finishes bone dry. I enjoyed it, but it does have a fairly severe lean mineral streak and lots of citrus acidity. If you are used to off-dry Pinot Grigio, it may give you a jolt. But the price is great, so it is certainly worth trying, preferably with food; some kind of shellfish sounds good.