Organic. Chenin Blanc. This small, enigmatic vineyard-cum-appellation on the north bank of the Loire River traces its roots back to the Cistercian monks of the 12th century, who, for good measure, also planted the legendary Coulée de Serrant next door. Its name, The Monks’ Rock, also refers to the schist bedrock and soils littered with volcanic rocks. Tessa Laroche is one of only 12 vignerons to own a parcel in this prestigious vineyard that sits high atop the wider Savennières appellation.
The wines of Roche-aux-Moines once produced what became a house wine in the court of Napoleon Bonaparte, and today, Tessa Laroche reminds us why Savennières was once considered among the most prized French wines. To reach this plateau, Laroche declassifies the fruit from any younger vines and yields are kept extremely low, usually around 30 hl/ha. Even then, the grapes are harvested at perfect ripeness over a series of six tris or pickings.
In the cellar, the grapes ferment through indigenous yeasts and the wines age for 18 months on lees in a mixture of used barrels (220 and 400-litre) and 20-hectolitre foudre. Unlike in the past, it undergoes full malolactic conversion every year, and the only sulphur addition takes place at bottling. The resulting wine is, to quote Jon Bonné (The New French Wine), “a case study in Chenin Blanc intensity”.
From a year Tessa Laroche rates as her most successful to date, the 2022 is a true terroir wine—with all guns blazing. Climbing out of the glass, the delightfully fleshy Chenin fruit is complemented by flecks of the flinty, dark-hued minerality that helps make this vineyard so distinctive. Laroche’s wines take less time to blossom than those made by her mother, Monique, yet this vintage could easily age, with benefits, for 10+ years.