La Perruche is a quintessential Chinon from the heart of the Loire Valley. With strong historical and cultural roots, AOC Chinon has an exceptional cultural landscape and a large part of the region is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. La Perruche is named after the siliceous stones found in the terroir throughout the Loire region. This smooth and refined cuvee beautifully showcases the appellation.\n\nThe grapes come from two plots of the vineyard, located in AOP Chinon, in the Central Loire Valley, terroir flanked by the Rivers Loire and Vienne, and between hillsides and plains of the Rabelais. The first plot is situated on gentle slopes with a chalky-clay soil which produces grapes with excellent concentration and good tannic structure. The second, is made up of sandy soils, facing the Loire River which produces grapes with fresh, aromatic fruit and depth of flavour. The climate is broadly continental, with warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters, with gentle influence from the Atlantic. The vineyard is HVE certified, which officially recognises the environmental performance of winegrowers, including biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategies, managed fertiliser use and water resource management.\n\nThe grapes were carefully sorted and transferred via conveyor belt to a small, concrete vat for cool maceration to extract the aromas, colour and fine tannins. Fermentation took place under temperature controlled conditions with selected yeasts. As soon as fermentation began, pumping over took place, initially the pump-over represented the volume of the entire vat, which decreased to half the vat’s volume halfway through fermentation, finishing with just wetting the cap towards the end. The wine was oxygenated during each pump-over by the creation of a small venturi which allowed fresh air into the vat, which helps to reduce astringency and enhance the red-fruit notes in the wine. Maturation lasted for one year in French oak barrels, of which 20% were new, 80% were a combination of one to five years. The wine was then blended, gently filtered and cellared in bottle for 12 months prior to release.
