Domaine Pithon-Paillé - La Fresnaye 2011

Pure fruit, a sleek palate—this wine is a real conversation starter.

Founded in 2008 by Isabelle and Jo Pithon, in partnership with Joseph and Wendy Paillé (who have since moved to Roussillon but have been replaced by Jules and Tania—are you following?), this young winery is making a sensational debut among the Loire Valley’s leading estates. Alongside its 13 hectares of vineyards (including 11 hectares of Chenin), cultivated organically and vinified by Jo Pithon himself, is a well-established wine trading operation, set up in partnership with winemakers who work primarily using organic methods. Jo Pithon has thus established himself as one of the leading names in white Anjou.

 Grown on warm gravel and cobblestone soils in the village of Saint-Aubin de Luigné, the 2011 La Fresnaye displays an inky color and reveals a noble, intense, and delicate bouquet featuring spicy fruit, earthy nuances, and hints of game, coffee, and graphite. Aged in barrels for two years, this is a fresh, pure, powerful red—firmly structured yet silky, elegant, and dynamic—with intense notes of ripe black fruit closely intertwined with hints of tobacco. La Fresnaye is an excellent, elegant wine with very good aging potential.

The 2011 reds are very successful. La Fresnaye has more depth and density.

After selling their vineyard to Philippe Fournier (at Domaine FL), Jo and Isabelle Pithon founded this wine merchant in 2008 with Joseph Paillé, Isabelle’s son, and his wife Wendy, a South African sommelier. They own 7 hectares of organic vineyards and produce and age Chenin and Cabernet Franc grapes from various terroirs along the Loire. In this successful Loire blend of refreshing, easy-drinking wines and a few great terroir-driven cuvées, the whites are gaining prominence, particularly the exceptional Coteaux des Treilles.