Nicolas Joly - Coulée-de-Serrant 2007

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Today is the day to taste this exceptional vintage, but it needs to be decanted for at least two to three hours before the wine reveals its energy and its pure minerality.

About the estate:

The Coulée de Serrant wine estate is a place where life flourishes. Nicolas Joly, a pioneer of biodynamics, has made his wine a brand recognized around the world. He can also count on the vision of his daughter Virginie to continue elevating this estate among the very best. Four hectares in Savennières and four hectares in Roche-Aux-Moines, a vineyard grazed by sheep, pecked at by chickens, tended by hand, in harmony with nature. Observation, experimentation, exemplary viticulture, and an essential estate.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

This venerable 7-hectare vineyard, planted with old Chenin vines clinging to schist-covered hillsides and established by the Cistercians in 1130, is one of the few single-estate appellations in the French wine region. Bolstered over the centuries by illustrious and crowned connoisseurs, its reputation has taken on an international dimension since Nicolas Joly, the French “pope” of biodynamics, took the helm, now joined by his daughter Virginie. The wine derives its original and unique character from grapes harvested when overripe—or even botrytised—in four or five passes. In the cellar, no new oak is used, as it would mask the terroir, but rather 500-liter barrels. And as little intervention as possible.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the wine:

The 2007 vintage seems to return to a certain purity and precision, both on the nose and on the palate. La Coulée de Serrant is very bright and rich; it bursts onto the palate with notes of lemongrass and the power of a full-bodied wine. Les Vieux Clos and Clos de la Bergerie also return to a very pure style, with a less pronounced finish and less restraint. Well done.

About the estate:

Nicolas Joly is now joined by his daughter Virginie. Without taking anything away from his father’s legacy, it must be said that the wines have become more refined and delicate in recent years. La Coulée de Serrant is now at the pinnacle of quality for its terroir. A schist-based terroir that gives the wine length, precision, and subtle brilliance. The wines need time and, above all, to breathe.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

There is a radical shift in style between the 2006 and the 2007. The latter is a fresh, airy vintage, more reminiscent of the Loire Valley than its predecessor, with a natural acidity that energizes the Chenin from Anjou, particularly that of La Coulée. Consistent, harmonious, without harshness or a sharp alcohol bite, and always long and lingering with schist-driven mineral flavors, the 2007 Coulée resembles a classic vintage like 2002. It needs at least 6 years to express its full complexity, but it can also be enjoyed sooner, for its tension, after decanting.

About the estate:

The exceptional vineyard of La Coulée de Serrant stretches along the edge of a schist cliff that drops straight into the Loire River, near Angers. The unique terroir and the quality of its exposure have set it apart for centuries. Restored by Denise Joly in the 1960s, the estate was taken over by her son Nicolas. This brilliant innovator is a staunch advocate of biodynamic farming, which he has practiced at La Coulée de Serrant since 1981. A portion of botrytized grapes (more or less pronounced depending on the vintage) lends a baroque complexity of aromas and a singular richness to these extraordinary whites. Nicolas Joly’s daughter, Virginie, is now in charge of the estate. Some wines, such as the 2016 or 2019 vintages, can be flamboyant, shaped by an impressive concentration of dry extract. Others, such as the 2020, lack precision, which leaves us perplexed. These wines require extended aeration and a serving temperature of around 12 degrees—not too cold, in other words. They are even served at room temperature during tastings at the estate!

Wine Spectator