Nicolas Joly - Clos de la Coulée de Serrant
When talking about biodynamics applied to viticulture, one cannot fail to mention Nicolas Joly, a winemaker from the Loire who ranks among the leading figures of this anthroposophical vision, born in the early 1900s with Rudolf Steiner, which identifies the agricultural estate as a microsystem in balance with the broader terrestrial ecosystem, according to a holistic approach in sincere harmony with nature. The Joly family embarked on their winemaking adventure in 1962 in Savennières, in the Anjou-Saumur area, where in 1130 the Cistercian monks planted a 7-hectare vineyard, the Coulée de Serrant, a jewel and monopoly of the Joly family, cultivated continuously for nine centuries. A small monastery declared a national historical monument is annexed to the property, while nearby are the ruins of the Roche aux Moines castle, where in 1214 the King of France Philip II Augustus triumphed over the King of England John Lackland, brother of Richard the Lionheart, who was expelled from the Loire. In 2001, Nicolas founded the biodynamic association La Renaissance des Appellations and today the winemaker is supported by his children Virginie and Vincent, who have embraced their father's noble philosophy.
The hectares available to Nicolas Joly's estate are 16, exclusively dedicated to Chenin Blanc, a grape variety that has always been cultivated in the Savennières area. The vines are up to 80 years old and have been managed according to biodynamic principles since 1984. The work is carried out partly by hand and partly, on the steeper slopes, with the help of a horse, while the soil matrix is schistose and quartziferous in the vineyards of Clos de la Coulée de Serrant and Clos de la Bergerie and sandier in the parcel of Les Vieux Clos. In the cellar, the winemaking approach adopted is minimalist and non-invasive, aimed solely at respecting the character of each plot, always vinified separately. In this perspective, the fermentations occur entirely spontaneously, the use of new wood is minimized, and the use of external inputs is excluded.
With their multifaceted style,When talking about biodynamics applied to viticulture, one cannot fail to mention Nicolas Joly, a winemaker from the Loire who ranks among the leading figures of this anthroposophical vision, born in the early 1900s with Rudolf Steiner, which identifies the agricultural estate as a microsystem in balance with the broader terrestrial ecosystem, according to a holistic approach in sincere harmony with nature. The Joly family embarked on their winemaking adventure in 1962 in Savennières, in the Anjou-Saumur area, where in 1130 the Cistercian monks planted a 7-hectare vineyard, the Coulée de Serrant, a jewel and monopoly of the Joly family, cultivated continuously for nine centuries. A small monastery declared a national historical monument is annexed to the property, while nearby are the ruins of the Roche aux Moines castle, where in 1214 the King of France Philip II Augustus triumphed over the King of England John Lackland, brother of Richard the Lionheart, who was expelled from the Loire. In 2001, Nicolas founded the biodynamic association La Renaissance des Appellations and today the winemaker is supported by his children Virginie and Vincent, who have embraced their father's noble philosophy.
The hectares available to Nicolas Joly's estate are 16, exclusively dedicated to Chenin Blanc, a grape variety that has always been cultivated in the Savennières area. The vines are up to 80 years old and have been managed according to biodynamic principles since 1984. The work is carried out partly by hand and partly, on the steeper slopes, with the help of a horse, while the soil matrix is schistose and quartziferous in the vineyards of Clos de la Coulée de Serrant and Clos de la Bergerie and sandier in the parcel of Les Vieux Clos. In the cellar, the winemaking approach adopted is minimalist and non-invasive, aimed solely at respecting the character of each plot, always vinified separately. In this perspective, the fermentations occur entirely spontaneously, the use of new wood is minimized, and the use of external inputs is excluded.
With their multifaceted style,
