Hervé Villemade ‘Cheverny’

Hervé Villemade ‘Cheverny’ – balanced and precise winemaking of the very highest degree. An impassioned polyamorous marriage of flinty mineral vivacity, fervent citrus meleés and tongue-swaddling textural tones. 70% of this cuveé is composed of Sauvignon Blanc, grown on sandy, clay soils; a heady exertion of yellow passion-fruit and lychee erupts upon the senses. Thus following is a delightful consortium of vegetal tones, finding form in tomato leaf and freshly mown grass, suggestive of a tempered wildness. The embrace offered by the brightly mineral Chardonnay ties this audaciously fresh mouthful in a pretty bow and cleanses one’s palette with immense satisfaction. A touch of reverberating marzipan slaps a smile across one’s face.

The grapes are manually harvested and aged on fine lees in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation is allowed to occur spontaneously. Situated in Cour-Cheverny and spread across three municipalities, Villemade’s winery is a haven of viticultural creativity. This is a generational estate that has grown to 25ha since Herve’s grandfather installed the initial plantings in 1939. Having completed his oenological studies, he assumed control in 1995. Neighbouring winemakers such as Lapierre and Puzelat inspired Villemade to begin experimenting with organic viticulture. He was astonished by the low-intervention purity, henceforth disregarding synthetic products, machinated harvesting and large doses of sulphur. More than two decades later, Villemade has become a household name in “le monde du vin naturel”; his cuveés express a singular purity that gently transfixes and wholly dominates.

Hervé Villemade ‘Cheverny’ – a transfixing and bewitching exemplar of rigid equilibrium. Conclusively elegant and focused winemaking that speaks volumes for Loire Valley terroir. Moreover, this is authenticity and craftsmanship sealed in a delicious, gluggable elixir.