2019 Savennieres Les Vieux Clos

Joly’s 2019 Les Vieux Clos displays a straw-yellow color and opens with a deep, clear, elegant, concentrated and very complex bouquet of ripe yellow-fleshed fruits (mirabelles, persimmons, passion fruit), quinces and pears intertwined with schist and iodine notes of crushed stones and quartz as well as floral aromas. The exciting impression of the nose is proceeded on the palate, where this full-bodied and fiery Savennières has a seamless texture and a crystalline as well as elegant structure with ripe and concentrated fruit and lingering crystalline and salty acidity. The wine has fine and textural tannins and develops a very intense and complex finish. This is a giant in the making, and using a big glass (like Zalto’s Bordeaux) is imperative. The 5.5-hectare clos is planted on light, east-facing slopes in the mountainous Savennières appellation. Yields on the sandy terroir are kept at a very low 25-30 hectoliters per hectare. It is the best entry to the Joly world you can get because it is unrivalled and exotic! Tasted in May 2021.