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Monday, January 10, 2022

Pascal Janvier

Some of the most exciting 
and rare wines from the Loire!!





The Janviers rent sixty-six different parcels (a total of nine hectares) of land and farm it entirely themselves. Jasnières produces some of the best dry Chenin Blanc (Pineau de la Loire) in the world, and its wines are said to reach their peak ten years after the vintage. The soils of their parcels are comprised of clay, limestone, sand and silex (flint), and are planted primarily to Chenin Blanc. Kermit Lynch imports one bottling of their red, made from the lighter-bodied and elegant indigenous red grape, Pineau d’Aunis. Their “Cuvée du Silex” parcel has distinct flint in the soil, lending notes of gunpowder to this beautiful, crisp Chenin. There is no doubt that Pascal and Dominique have chosen the path less traveled, though at the first sip of their wine, one understands why they keep working so hard.  -- Importer Kermit Lynch


2020 Pascal Janvier Jasnieres Blanc....$22.99
With about 160 acres planted, Jasnières represents one of the Loire Valley’s smallest appellations. And yet it is home to one of its most distinctive expressions of Chenin Blanc, as this cool, stony terroir of clay, limestone, and flint yields wines unlike anything one might find in other Chenin AOCs such as Vouvray, Savennières, or Anjou. Pascal Janvier is a small grower in Jasnières intent on showing off the typicity and uniqueness of the area’s wines, and his 2020s do not disappoint. Racy, slightly honeyed, exotically perfumed, and loaded with minerality, this wine is an excellent representation of how Chenin reacts to the local conditions. The aroma is always fascinating—guava, flowers, citrus, clove, and gunflint are often cited; what do you pick out? This white’s versatility makes it a great choice for the gourmet adventurer, as simple dishes like fresh goat cheeses and buttery fish preparations work just as well as many Southeast Asian and Central American dishes. -- importer


2020 Pascal Janvier Jasnieres Cuvee du Silex....$24.99
Their “Cuvée du Silex” parcel has distinct flint in the soil, lending notes of gunpowder to this beautiful, crisp Chenin. There is no doubt that Pascal and Dominique have chosen the path less traveled, though at the first sip of their wine, one understands why they keep working so hard. -- importer

2020 Pascal Janvier Coteaux du Loir Blanc....$19.99
The sloping banks of the Loir, a tributary of the Loire, are home to the northernmost vineyards of the entire Loire Valley. Notwithstanding the apparent laziness of France’s River Naming Committee, this area produces fantastically undervalued Chenin Blanc that bears a unique aromatic signature. Exotically perfumed with hints of guava, musk, and clove, it finishes dry and quite flinty. -- importer


2020 Pascal Janvier Coteaux du Loir Cuvee du Rosier Rouge....$22.99
One of the Loire’s rarest red grapes, Pineau d’Aunis is downright obscure compared to the region’s golden child, Cabernet Franc. As with many of France’s grape varieties, Pineau d’Aunis was nearly wiped out by phylloxera in the 1860s. A notoriously finicky grape, it was widely replaced with easier-to-grow, higher-yielding varieties. Pineau d’Aunis acreage had been in steady decline until around twenty years ago when local vignerons, fearing its impending extinction, began an effort to put the indigenous variety back on the map. Only about a thousand acres are planted to Pineau d’Aunis in France today. In the Coteaux du Loir appellation, Pascal Janvier dutifully tends his vines to craft a 100% Pineau d’Aunis cuvée—the only bottling of this extraordinary grape in our entire portfolio.
In the glass, his Cuvée du Rosier looks (and often drinks) like young Pinot Noir. Its bright strawberry and sour cherry notes lead into a spicy finish recalling cracked pepper. Juicy and lively thanks to a palate-tickling hint of effervescence, it is best served slightly chilled, as you would a Beaujolais, and can be paired with anything (or nothing at all), but goes especially well with tricky-to-pair dishes that have a kick. This wine is truly a knockout with spicy food.  The compilation of Janvier’s rouge with hand-pulled sesame paste noodles from Oakland’s Shan Dong restaurant is one of my all-time greatest hits. From zesty curries to kimchi bibimbap, a chilled glass of this hidden gem cuvée will refresh a sizzling palate like a cooling elixir, while at the same time enhancing all the flavors at table. -- importer




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