Description
Clos de la Lysardiere – Vieilles Vignes
The wine story
This 12-acre vineyard is enclosed in walls of tuffeau (the local white limestone) on the top of the Chinon côteau, with a soil of coarse sand, clay and crumbly stones.
It is not far from the impressive Chinon Royal Fortress. At the bottom of that fortress is the pretty medieval town by the side of the Vienne River. Everything has been built from the same white stone with blue slate roofs. It is a very harmonious landscape and a Unesco World Heritage site.
Young but highly experienced oenologist Romain Parisis, who was born in the region, runs this domain. The grapes are picked when perfectly ripe and totally destemmed. During fermentation there is regular pumping of the must to extract color and taste, then the wine is aged for 8 months before bottling.
This wine will be more enjoyed slightly chilled (57F-60F).
Favorite Pairing
Pair with meat in red wine gravy… like the local specialty Coq au vin, or with barbecued or roasted meats, a platter of hams, charcuterie and pâtés.
The Region
This central part of The Loire valley is sometimes called the Garden of France, there are many rivers for fishing and irrigation, forests for hunting, mushrooms and even truffles. The large valleys with a rich soil and mild climate produce cereals, fruit, vegetables and flowers. There are goats and cows for cheese, pigs for Charcuteries, top quality poultry. Only the poorest slopes or gravelly riversides are planted with vines. A paradise for gastronomes and foodies….
Aroma
Jammy cherry and blackcurrant, sweetly spicy
Flavor
Ample and suave, fruity and tannic, with herbal tones and a whiff of liquorice