Nicolas Joly - Savennières Coulée-de-Serrant 2021

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Promising, with lively, rich, and vibrant fruit; the finish becomes more pronounced as it opens up to reveal notes of spicy rose and a hint of saltiness.

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 wine:

In 2021, the Joly family produced an admirable Coulée de Serrant, which immediately captivates with its brilliant color and devilishly complex, luscious nose. After a slight animal note, it reveals deep aromas of bitter orange, white fruits, eucalyptus, tea, and popcorn, set against a backdrop of intense minerality—the hallmark of this great wine. This minerality also lingers on the palate, which is very supple on the attack, full-bodied, rich, and tender as it develops, offering a silky texture and remarkable finesse, with a touch of liveliness on the finish that gives it energy and great length. Timeless.

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 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.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The 2021 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant reveals a deep and complex bouquet with aromas of smoke, ripe orchard fruits, spices, and spring flowers, intertwined with a flinty character. Medium-bodied to full-bodied, rich and enveloping, it is well-balanced and more delicate than the 2018. Due to spring frost, only 11 hectoliters per hectare were produced.

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

About the wine:

It combines restraint with great power, fullness on the palate, richness, and bitterness. This balance challenges our usual taste expectations, especially in this robust vintage. Best left to age for at least 5 years.

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!

Vinous

About the wine:

The Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 2021 is a dry, floral Chenin Blanc made from late-harvested grapes, picked in three passes, about 10% of which were affected by botrytis. Grown using biodynamic methods and vinified with minimal intervention, the resulting wine is intriguing and unconventional. With a rich golden color, it offers a sensation of sweetness combined with honeyed fruit and the fullness of high alcohol. Low yields result in intense concentration. It is a serious, structured style, with well-controlled tannins that give it grip and contribute to its length, while the season’s lively acidity ensures freshness and tension. It is a much cleaner and less oxidative style in 2021, and this is to be welcomed. It will be a long-aging wine that will need to be decanted.