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Nicolas Joly Savennieres Les Vieux Clos

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SKU

FRNJLVC

£65.00

A singular expression of Chenin Blanc from biodynamic pioneer Nicolas Joly, Les Vieux Clos is rich, layered, and uncompromising, a wine that straddles nature and philosophy as much as terroir.

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At a Glance

Country of Origin France

Wine Colour White

% ABV 13.5

Body Full-Bodied

Region Loire Valley

Vintage 2022

Grape Variety Chenin Blanc

Bottle Size 75CL

Fine Yes

Rare Yes

Description

Nicolas Joly is one of France’s most provocative and influential winegrowers. Long before biodynamics became fashionable, Joly had fully embraced its principles at his Coulée de Serrant estate in Savennières, beginning in the 1980s, with the belief that viticulture should attune to the rhythms of the earth and vines rather than fight them. Today, his approach remains unflinching: he farms entirely by biodynamic principles (certified by Demeter) and eschews chemical inputs, machines, and manipulations in both vineyard and cellar.
Les Vieux Clos, while sometimes considered the entry to his range, is no less complex or expressive. Sourced from a 5.5-hectare parcel on schist and volcanic soils, it’s fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in old barrels with minimal sulphur and no filtration. Each vintage reflects not a standard style but the evolving energy of the growing season, a living wine made by intuition as much as technique. Joly’s wines are not “clean” in the modern sense — they are alive, sometimes wild, always fascinating. They divide opinion, and that’s precisely the point.

Tasting Notes

Les Vieux Clos opens with a deep, golden hue and an aromatic profile that’s anything but shy: bruised orchard fruit, honeycomb, hay, beeswax, saffron and wet stone. The palate is broad and textural, sometimes oxidative, often waxy, with quince, yellow apple, lemon oil, and a saline edge that echoes its schistous terroir. There’s no attempt at polish or varietal clarity; this is Chenin Blanc on its own terms, unapologetically raw and complex.

How To Enjoy

Pair with foods that mirror its richness and sense of place, such as roasted guinea fowl with preserved lemon, lobster with beurre noisette, or mature Comté. It’s also a surprising but thrilling match with Japanese kaiseki, or aged washed-rind cheeses. Best served slightly below room temperature to allow its full spectrum to unfurl. Will age, evolve, and provoke for 15–20 years or more.