Terre de l'Elu - Le Revenant 2017

A deliciously juicy Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley.

Small ripe berries and spices, violets, and a hint of earthy-woodland undergrowth on the nose. The palate is medium bodied and structured with ripe tannins, giving it a satisfying, fruity mouthfeel. Flavours of raspberry, blackberry, redcurrant, star anise, a hint of tobacco, and a slight vegetal and minty touch.

NERD NOTES

Hand harvested, naturally fermented and aged in old oak barrels for 5 years. Bottled without filtration and minimal sulphur.

Cabernet Franc grown from 45 year old vines at an altitude of 70 metres, with a terroir of quartz gravels and sandy loam soils.

The grapes were hand harvested, with the best bunches selected in the vineyard. Spontaneously fermented in stainless steel tanks as whole bunches for 3 weeks using indigenous yeasts. The grapes were then pressed, with the juice added back to stainless steel tanks to complete fermentation. After malolactic conversion was completed, a low dose of sulfur was added, before transfer to old oak barrels, where they were aged for 60 months without racking.

No fining or filtration, minimal sulphur added just prior to bottling.

ABOUT TERRE DE L'ÉLU

Charlotte and Thomas Carsin took over (what is now known as) Terre de l’Élu in 2008, shifting the domaine away from selling to local négociants, now producing their own wines. Taking over conventionally farmed vineyards in an unfamiliar region is a monumental challenge, but Charlotte and Thomas were up to it, drawing on Thomas' training as an agricultural engineer and experience as a vineyard consultant.

The domaine has expanded over the years, now being 22 hectares large and spread over 30 plots along the right bank of the Layon, starting upriver at Chaume and finishing at Ardenay and Chaudefonds-sur-Layon. It's terroir is predominately schist, with varying amounts of quarts, sandstone schist, shale, and slate, as is common throughout this area of Anjou.

Approximately 65% of the domaine's vineyards are planted with an equal mix of Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, with the remaining 35% being made up of Gamay, Grolleau (Gris and Noir), Pineau d'Aunis, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Charlotte and Thomas manage their vineyards with organic farming practices, achieving certification on their 2013 vintage, and work as naturally as possible - using native cover crops, vertical soil tilling, and only natural treatments. This work has allowed them to preserve many of the domaine's older vines, with new planting being carried out with massale selection to preserve biodiversity.

Each variety and vineyard are hand harvest and vinified separately. The white wines are direct pressed and cold settled for a short period before being transferred to stainless, neutral French oak barrels, or Amphora for fermentation and ageing. The red wines are fermented in whole bunches and aged in neutral French oak barrels. All wines undergo spontaneous fermentation with indigenous/natural yeasts. Sulfur usage is kept to a minimum, often only added right before bottling.

Charlotte and Thomas withdrew their estate from Anjou AOP in 2018, after years of bureaucratic costs and delays and having their wines being rejected by the appellation, now labelling them as Vin de France. Having originally named the domaine 'Clos de l’Élu', they have renamed it 'Terre de l’Élu', due to being unable to use the term 'Clos' outside of an appellation. Despite the name change, their commitment to their wine remains unwavering and as dedicated as ever.