Val du Loir

Producer profiles - Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir

Domaine de la Roche Bleue   (2008)

 
Sébastien Cornille and his Chenin Réunion

Sébastien Cornille is in his early thirties and originates from Sancerre, although surprisingly he doesn’t come from a family of vignerons. After studying agronomy in Tours he then returned to the Berry to work with the Bourgeois family based in Chavignol. Before moving to Marçon, he was based in Réunion, attempting to establish a Chenin Blanc vineyard with some friends at 1,000 metres of altitude on an extinct volcano. Although Réunion enjoys four distinct seasons, the heavy rain during the summer and autumn eventually drove him back to France. His love of Chenin remains, and I suppose if you can make Chenin in Réunion (and you can – I tasted it - and it’s not very good) then making wine in the Loir must seen like a morceau de gâteau.

Wine Overview:
He has been established in these old caves above Marçon for just a few months, with the 2008 vintage being his first. Along with his partners (the same as were involved in the Reunion project), a sommelier friend, Frédéric Grasland, and a wine importer in Madagascar , they have bought the cellar from Jean-Michel Aubert, and purchased vines from Michel Boulay and Bénédicte de Rycke.

Together, they now own 3.5 hectares in Jasnières, including parcels in le Clos des Mollières, le Clos de Longue Vignes and Sous-le-Bois. There have also purchased a further 1.5 hectares in the Coteaux du Loir and have rented just short of one hectare too. They have some Pineau d’Aunis vines in Marçon, as well as having a couple of rows of Gamay Bouse. The age of the vines range from eight to fifty years, with invariably the oldest being the Pineau d’Aunis. The plan is to convert the vineyards to organic farming methods over the coming seasons, with everything being harvested by hand.

In the cellar, the Jasnières is being raised in oak barrels, and for this year the Pineau d’Aunis has been vinified as rosé, although there are plans for a 100% Pineau d’Aunis in the future.

The Wines:
The 2008 vintage in December 2008 was still in barrel and tank, but looked very promising indeed. This is clearly a young grower to look out for in future.

Domaine de la Roche Bleue
Sébastien Cornille
La Roche
Marçon
T: + 33 2 43 44 04 99
P: + 33 6 27 99 76 74

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