Creamy and refined with notes of apple, pear, line and even some fresh herb notes coming through. Well-balanced flavor, with a mix of honey, Apple and a bit of stone fruit mixed with good acidity on the finish and a hint of the brioche/bread flavor.\n \n Producer Information\n Jacky Blot (of Taille aux Loups in Montlouis and Domaine de la Butte in Bourgueil) is a well-regarded, low-intervention winemaker in the Loire Valley producing a range of wines, predominantly based on the local mainstays, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. The eponymous Jacky Blot was a wine broker before deciding to embark on his own project in 1989 to make wines in Montlouis, with the object of producing classic, local styles: the sparkling Montlouis Pétillant and the late-harvest Montlouis Moelleux, often compared to its more storied neighbor, Vouvray. Over the years, however, Blot has altered his approach – not least due to the string of difficult vintages in the Loire in the early 1990s. Blot began experimenting with less interventionist winemaking as a result of harvest pressures and from this grew a greater emphasis on dry white wines and a successful Pétillant Naturel, Triple Zéro (zero chapitalization, zero dosage, zero liqueur de tirage). A range of labels are produced from Montlouis and its ubiquitous Chenin Blanc variety including the single-vineyard Clos de Mosny and Clos de la Bretonnière (both monopole holdings). The Venise Vin de France white is made from the Clos de Venise holding in Vouvray but is declassified due to its production location outside of the Vouvray area. Blot acquired the 14-hectare (34-acre) Domaine de la Butte in Bourgueil in 2002. He produces a number of labels from the vineyard, generally broken down by their position on the hill (or "butte", in French). For instance, "Mi-Pente" refers to the mid-slope while Le Haut de la Butte is from the upper hillside. All are produced from Cabernet Franc. All the vineyards are certified organic and hand harvested. Most wines are unfined and unfiltered and fermented with indigenous yeasts. Aging is predominantly in oak with between a quarter and a third new barrels depending on the cuvée. In recent years, Jacky's son, Jean-Philippe (known as "J-P") has progressively taken over the running of the estates.
