Nicolas Joly - Savennières Coulée-de-Serrant 2018 (Magnum)

Full of vitality, with a maturity reminiscent of the 2018 vintage, this free-spirited wine allows the terroir to shine through. The dynamic finish is remarkable, with exceptional length.

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 to the ranks of the very best. Four hectares in Savennières and four hectares in Roche-Aux-Moines—a vineyard grazed by sheep, pecked at by chickens, and tended by hand, in harmony with nature. Observation, experimentation, exemplary viticulture, and an essential estate.

With a beautiful golden-yellow color, this 2018 Coulée offers a wonderfully delicate nose, opening with floral, mineral (warm flint), and citrus notes. As it breathes, aromas of fresh grass, menthol, puffed rice, quince, and pear emerge. A fresh yet silky attack leads to a palate that is supremely supple, caressing, and creamy, underpinned by a subtle minerality; here we find that note of bitter orange so often present in this wine, which lingers into a long finish. The 888th vintage for Serrant’s Coulée and a sense of eternity.

This venerable 7-hectare vineyard, planted with old Chenin vines clinging to schist-covered hillsides and founded by the Cistercians in 1130, is one of the few monopole 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 botrytized—in four or five passes. In the cellar, new oak is strictly avoided, as it would mask the terroir; instead, 500-liter barrels are used. And as little intervention as possible.

Nicolas Joly is now joined by his daughter, Virginie. Without taking anything away from his father’s legacy, we must admit that the wines have become more precise 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, aeration.

Harvested in five passes, with higher-than-normal yields (24 hectoliters per hectare) and approximately 8% botrytis, the 2018 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant—with its intense yellow color—opens with a clear, refined, and subtly scented with flint, featuring aromas of ripe, aromatic fruit, fresh and elegant notes of herbs and schist, and remarkable freshness—not only for the 2018 vintage, which was at times extremely hot, but also for this epic wine in general. Generous and full-bodied on the palate, elegant and flawless, with lush yet concentrated fruit and a velvety texture thanks to fine but firm tannins, this is an excellent and persistent Coulée de Serrant that is already approachable and concludes with a long, salty, and striking finish featuring stimulating bitter notes and fresh phenols. The 2018 is incredibly refined and subtly salty.

The extraordinary power of the 2018 vintage needs to age for a few years in the cellar before it truly reveals itself. Its intensity creates a sensation of a hot torrent on the palate, followed by a gentle river, shaped by a bewildering array of flavors—some striking, yet all possessing an extraordinary personality. A white wine built for aging, to be aerated at length and served in a decanter.

The exceptional Coulée de Serrant vineyard stretches along the edge of a schist cliff that drops straight into the Loire River, near Angers. The nature of the site 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 (the extent of which varies by vintage) lends these extraordinary whites a baroque complexity of aromas and a singular richness. 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’re even served at room temperature during tastings at the estate!