Domaine de Belliviere, L'Effraie Coteaux du Loir 2020

92 points John Gilman, View from the Cellar
"The 2020 Coteaux du Loir “l’Effraie” bottling from Domaine de Bellivière is fairly similar statistically to the les Rosiers, as the wine finished up its fermentation with sixteen grams of residual sugar and, due to the drought’s concentrating effect, ended up at fourteen percent octane. The wine delivers beautiful aromatics in its constellation of pineapple, tangerine, sweet quince, a touch of honeycomb, lovely, flinty soils and a top note of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely plush at the core, with good soil signature, sound 37 framing acids, a nice touch of sweetness and a long, focused and very nicely balanced finish. The les Rosiers Jasnières has a touch more acidity to it this year, but both bottlings are very tasty in 2020. 2022-2045."

Vinous Reverie Notes
Located about 30 miles north of the city of Tours, Coteaux-du-Loir is an isolated appellation at the edges of three provinces: Maine, Anjou and Touraine. As well as the most northern viticultural area in the west of France. Fortunately, the river Loir replicates some of the micro-climactic conditions of its big sister, the Loire (watch your French: le Loir, along with la Sarthe and la Mayenne, form le Maine, a tributary of la Loire which it joins in Angers.) Eric and his wife Christine found an estate with some vines, but mostly grazing fields, trees and grains. They nurtured the existing old vines and did a lot of planting, to get to their current 14 hectares, scattered over 65 parcels within 6 villages. Chenin Blanc represents the vast majority of the Bellivière production. Grapes are diligently picked by hand, some years in passes if the vintage is suitable for botrytis. In the cellar, each parcel is vinified individually in barrels of various shapes and sizes. 100% Chenin Blanc, "L'Effraie" is from Bellivière's younger Coteaux du Loir vines, across 11 parcels totaling 3.5 hectares. These gobelet-pruned, 10-30-year-old vines are planted on flinty, sandy clay soils over tuffeau (soft limestone), are certified-biodynamic and harvested by hand.