Domaine du Closel La Jalousie Savennières 2023 | Dry Chenin Blanc

Domaine du Closel is located at the historic Château des Vaults, the estate has been family-owned since 1495, passing primarily through maternal lines for generations. In modern times, it was revitalized by Evelyne de Pontbriand, a passionate advocate for terroir-driven, dry Chenin Blanc. Today, Evelyne and her niece, Lucie Carasso, lead the estate.

Cultivated under strict biodynamic practices (Demeter certified) focused on soil vitality, low yields, cover crops, and biodiversity in and around the park of the château.

The grapes are hand-harvested relatively early in the picking window to prioritize freshness, crisp malic acidity, and tensile floral/citrus profiles over over-ripeness or botrytis.

100% Chenin Blanc sourced from biodynamically farmed vines rooted in shallow purple and green schists, volcanic spilites, and sandstone. Grapes undergo rigorous manual sorting in the vineyard to ensure pristine, botrytis-free fruit.

Whole bunches undergo slow, gentle pneumatic direct pressing to extract pure juice while limiting astringent skin phenolics.

The unfermented must experiences intentional, brief aeration (débourbage / settling for ~12 hours). This oxidizes fragile polyphenols early so they precipitate out, stabilizing the finished wine against oxidation down the line without dampening Chenin’s mineral precision. Spontaneous fermentation driven entirely by indigenous ambient yeasts from the vineyard and cellar; no commercial yeast strains or enzymatic additions are used.

La Jalousie is fermented primarily in neutral fiberglass and stainless steel vats. Fermented completely dry, allowing fermentation to proceed at its natural rhythm without forced intervention or temperature shocks.

Wine matures for 9 to 12 months strictly on fine lees, kept protected from oxygen in inert tanks throughout its aging. This preserves the primary fruit snap, high aromatic tension, and crystalline slate notes while the lees build mid-palate texture and breadth. Minimal bâtonnage avoiding excess softness to maintain Savennières' signature linear drive.

Minimal cellar manipulation; bottled with either a very light, gentle filtration or partial filtration depending on vat clarity.  

Vinified without sulfur during fermentation; an extremely low dose is added only at bottling to guarantee structural stability.