Thomas Batardiere
By David Keck
The Loire Valley is one of the most remarkable regions for wine production in the world. A massive river valley that stretches from the foot of the Massif Central all the way to the coast, covering wildly different soil types, grape varieties, and styles of wine, the Loire is truly one of the most diverse regions. This is part of what makes it exciting—as well as it being the heart of much that is progressive in the world of wine regarding organics, low-intervention wine-making, biodynamics, and the so-called ’natural wine’ movement. The Loire Valley also has some of the most epic châteaux (many of the ‘summer cottages’ of the royalty from Paris… think Disney-castle style) and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site (the entire valley!!).
We have recently picked up a few producers from the Loire Valley that have never been in Vermont and we’re extremely excited to see their wines here for the first time. There is more on the way (including some amazing values), but we started with some producers that are making wines that are stunning and perhaps a little bit of a splurge for the holidays. They are also very limited, so check with your sales rep. soon if you want some!
Our homage to the Loire Valley begins with Thomas Batardiere. Thomas was born in Angers and pursued a career in cinema, then in the restaurant business as a sommelier, until 2008 when he decided to pivot into the wine world, working with the great Mathieu Vallée at Château Yvonne while pursuing education in viticulture in Beaune. In 2012 Thomas purchased 2 hectares (just under 5 acres) of old-vine Chenin Blanc in Rablay-sur-Layon. This region is notable in the Loire valley for its intense clay over schist-based soils with volcanic rock and quartz, and a history of making mineral, bright, beautiful Chenin.
His estate has now grown to 4 hectares with a small amount of Grolleau and Cabernet Franc. He began farming biodynamically from the start, getting certified by Demeter in 2015, tries to produce entirely without sulfur, but uses a minimal amount when necessary ("I am pragmatic, not dogmatic, so if I have to add sulphur to save my wine I will”).
Our first wine from Thomas is the ‘Les Noëls’ Cabernet Franc. From a single parcel planted in 1931, the yield is extremely low. The grapes are kept whole-cluster, with 4 weeks of maceration without any intervention (no pump-overs or punchdowns at all), finished in tank. Racked a few times and never filtered, it is Thomas’s goal to not sulfur this wine, so the most ever added would be 1 gram of natural sulfur at bottling. The wine is clean, rich, and tastes the way only Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley can—some herbal notes without being herbaceous and green, floral and pretty without being over the top. It is simply a gorgeous wine. And we got two cases this year, so get in while you can!
Stay tuned for more exciting wines from the Loire Valley. Let the #LoireFest continue. Happy New Year one and all! We hope that you drink well in this last week of 2020, treat yourself gently and with delicious things as we ring in 2021, a year that we can hope will bring health and joy to all.
Santé!