Domaine Nicolas Joly - Coulée-de-Serrant 2014

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

With earthy notes infused with fresh herbs, hay, and white flowers, this slender Chenin appears austere at this stage. Rigorous and withdrawn into its bitter notes, it stands out for its nimble texture and a depth that will unfold over the years. Patience.

About the estate:

The Coulée de Serrant wine estate is a place where life flourishes. Nicolas Joly, a pioneer of biodynamics, has built his wine into 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 wine:

With a beautiful deep golden hue, the 2014 “Coulée” presents itself in its classic style, a sign of the overripeness sought by the Jolys, with grapes marked by botrytis. On the nose, after a long aeration (always necessary for this wine), it displays remarkable and evolving complexity: yellow plum, butter, honey, then verbena, fresh grass, a hint of mint, cold stone... A soft and tender attack opens onto a very open palate (far more so than the 2013 at this stage), powerful, dense, and warm, supported by a light smoky oak and that incomparable verticality with terroir accents that seems to plunge us into the center of the earth. A wine that leaves no one indifferent, as always, still holding back due to its youth, and one that only long aging will fully reveal.

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 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 has thus reached the pinnacle of quality for its terroir—a schist-based terroir that lends the wine length, precision, and subtle brilliance. These wines require time and, above all, aeration.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

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

About the wine:

A touch of residual sugar does nothing to diminish the wine’s briny intensity: a spicy profile with a slender structure characterizes this wine, which features notes of kumquat and seems to have gained in serenity and refinement, yet remains austere and destined for glorious aging.

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 extensive aeration and a serving temperature of around 12 degrees—not too cool, in other words. They are even served at room temperature during tastings at the estate!