Clau de Nell Grolleau, Vin de Pays du Val de Loire – 2015 – Wine & Spirits – 93 Points
93 points
This was a struggling biodynamic vineyard that attracted the attention of Anne-Claude Leflaive and her husband, Christian Jacques; they purchased it in 2008. Leflaive has since passed away, but the couple had hired Sylvain Potin, who continues to farm the Demeter certified property. The grolleau vines range from 60 to 90 years old, growing in silty clay over tuffeau, and the ripe fruit of the 2015 took this wine to a friendly sort of beauty from what is often a gruff grape. It’s full of wild-blackberry flavors and sweet tobacco notes, with a structure that feels delicate and lacy for a wine of its dark riches.
Clau de Nell Grolleau, Vin de Pays du Val de Loire – 2015 – Wine & Spirits – 93 Points