Alcohol:14,3%
Varietals: Chardonnay, Sauvignon
Appellation: AOC Cheverny, Loire Valley, France
Drinking: Ready to drink
Located in the eastern section of Touraine, in Cheverny at the corner of Sologne south of Bois, is situated Christian Venier. It is here that he honed his natural winemaking skills under his cousin Theirry & Jean-Marie Puzelat of Clos du Tue Boeuf. After spending seasons assisting with harvests over the years, it wasn’t until the mid-90s that he produced his first vintage “Brin de Chevre” while simultaneously enrolling in the viticultural school of Amboise where he found the student body was ignorant of organic farming practices. All the while he kept to his philosophy of making wine naturally, bucking the trend that had taken the country by storm after the first World War who opted for mechanization. Christian remained a farmer akin to his ancestors, farming with the land organically his approximately 6 hectares of vineyards, planted with Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Pineau d’Aunis, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Menu Pineau and Chenin Blanc grown on a variety of silica and clay, some with gravel and stones. Christian remains a staunch non-interventionist with regards to his wines allowing natural fermentation, under a loose fitting cap, to occur while making use of resin-fiberglass, stainless steel, cement and oak, all in large format and never with additions or subtractions. His aim is to create wines with minerality and structure, while maintaining the natural feel of the wine that the vine itself provides. He is a man who makes wine for pleasure, and around whom it is a pleasure to be.
Buy 6 bottles of regularly priced (not on sale) wines and receive 5% off.
Buy 12 and receive 10% off.
Email sale wines do not combine nor count towards the above discount.
We would consider all wine to be "Natural". The term "Natural Wine" has the connotation of lacking a touch with nature. The winegrowers we champion are those who are farmers first. They seek to capture the uniqueness of the site (terroir) in the purest way possible. The product is as pure as possible and without wine-making flaws (brettanomyces, mercaptans, volatile acidity, etc.
Raw, in this case, we define as realistic and not manipulated. The winemakers use the least amount of intervention as possible. Wine should be made in the vineyard, not the cellar. The winemaker's job is to get the wine into the bottle in the purest form possible. There are additives that go into making wine, some are essential and some are not. Wines in this category do not have extra additives. They are free of added sulfur, or have the most minimal amounts possible in order to provide shelf stability for the consumer to experience the wine as the winemaker intended it to be.
