From: Jasnières, Loire Valley, France
Varietal: Chenin Blanc
The important details: "Do yourself a favor and give this gem a taste. It might be the most unusual, most delicious, and least expensive top-quality sweet wine you have ever tried. A pure Chenin Blanc, hand picked from a special selection of late-harvest grapes in the tiny appellation of Jasnières, this cuvée was made in miniscule quantities. It showcases an awesome combination of smooth, pure, decadent Chenin fruit and super-complex terroir—smoke, peat, exotic spices, and volcanic stoniness. Serve it as dessert, in and of itself, or as a palate-stimulating apéritif. We in the U.S. haven’t acquired the French habit of serving a sweet wine to start the evening, but it is worth a try. It works, especially with a knockout winner like this." —Dixon Brooke
About. Pascal Janvier never planned on becoming a vigneron. Though his parents had vineyard land of their own, they did not make their own wine. He went to school to learn butchery, but made a sudden about-face at the age of thirty and decided to study winegrowing. His decision was anything but a whim. Starting slowly, he has mastered his craft with focus and passion, contributing to the revival of the small appellation of Jasnières, the most northerly (and coldest) of the greater Loire region. The once proud appellations of Jasnières and the Coteaux du Loir are now all but extinct, with less than one hundred and two hundred hectares still respectively under vine. Pascal is doing his part to remind everyone what Jasnières is capable of.
