Alcohol: 12.5%
Grape(s): Romorantin
Localization: Cour-Cheverny, Loire Valley, France
Tasting Notes: There are usually a few grams of residual sugar, though they are easy to miss, given the high natural acidity of Romorantin.
Notes: Direct-pressed juice is fermented in stainless steel. Elevage is in 300l barrels for six months, then in underground vats until the following spring. Small amounts of S02 are added at the press, after malolactic fermentation and at bottling.
The Domain: Created in 1993, Cheverny is one of the most recent appellations in the Loire Valley. The area, south of the Loire and abutting the marshy region of Sologne (the best hunting grounds in France), has produced wines since the 6th century. The soils consist of various combinations of clay, limestone, and silica. Many varietals are planted: Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cabernet, and Côt for red wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin, and Menu Pineau for the whites.
Cazin tends vines of considerable age, and the yields are well below average in any given year. His Cheverny is fresh and floral, with appley texture and crisp acidity. The flavors are sleek and precise. Since 1997, the wine has been bottled unfiltered by gravity. His wines have consistently been the top pick of the vintage at the annual Loire Valley wine show in Anger. By legislation, a Cheverny wine has to be a blend of varietals, and Cazin’s white is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay.
Cazin also makes a cuvée of Cour-Cheverny, exclusively from the ancient local grape Romorantin. This varietal, with its high acidity and minerality, can be angular and rough. But in the right hands, it achieves high ripeness and the wine has astonishing grapey, apricot and roasted nuts flavors, kept fresh and lively by good acidity. In very ripe vintages, when the grapes undergo passerillage or noble rot, Cazin vinifies some of his Romorantin off-dry, calling it "Cuvée Renaissance". A considerably smaller amount of red wine is also produced from Pinot Noir and Gamay.
