Le Passeur de Vin

This is Pablo Nedelec’s latest coup de coeur at Le Passeur de Vin. Les Jauges 2021, from Clos des Brétêches, is a vibrant 100% Chenin blanc. The grapes are grown on a 40-acre parcel of 50-year-old vines on south-facing rhyolite soils in the commune of Beaulieu sur Layon, just outside Montbenault (cf. Richard Leroy).
For this first vintage, pressing was carried out at the Sansonnière farm on a 2000kg Champagne vertical press, with no inputs. Winemaker Mélanie Grenouilleau learned her trade with Mark Angeli, and in 2021, with this first vintage, she and her companion Romain Nicolas set up shop on 1.2 ha of vines in Anjou.
This first wine charms us and takes us back to childhood, as we sit at breakfast, the smells of quince jelly and citrus fruit wafting through the room. On the palate, it’s full-bodied and saline, with a mineral finish, resulting in an energetic wine. There’s no doubt that these two young winemakers will bring you lively emotions.