Grolleau IGP 2020

Wine Description for Grolleau IGP 2020 by Clau de Nell

Colour & Appearance

Deep, luminous violet-red – dense and inviting in the glass, with an intensity that already announces the character of the wine.

Nose

A seductive potpourri of blackberry, blackcurrant, sloe and mulberry unfolds with cool precision. Beneath this shimmer unusually multi-layered herbal notes – rosemary, wild sage, eucalyptus – as well as an earthy, almost rustic depth of beetroot and aubergine. Straightforward, refreshingly vibrant and of a complexity one simply doesn’t expect from this grape variety.

Palate

Juicy, dark-fruited fullness meets fine spice and a distinctly saline minerality. The texture is silky, the body medium-bodied and threaded through with lively acidity. Herbal notes return on the palate, lending the wine a cool, almost Mediterranean elegance.

Finish

Long, meaty and characterised by a pleasantly earthy spice. The aftertaste remains remarkably precise and clear – a wine that invites contemplation and doesn’t let go.

Terroir & Origin

The vines stand on clay-silty soil over sandstone as well as on red flint over tuffeau – classic Loire terroir, which gives the wine its characteristic minerality and freshness.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Grolleau, an autochthonous Loire variety with vines 60 to 90 years old, otherwise rarely produced as a red wine. Yield of only 25 hl/ha, hand-harvested in 12-kilo crates, completely destemmed, 30-day fermentation with minimal intervention. Maturation 30% on fine lees in old Burgundian pièces, 70% in large wooden vats, followed by six months in stainless steel. Biodynamic viticulture in its purest form.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Ideal with beetroot baked in salt crust with rocket and black walnuts, with monkfish wrapped in bacon on braised aubergine vegetables or with the classic beef braised stew with green beans and potato gratin. Served cool at 16 °C, decanted, in a large glass.

Special Features

One of the few single-varietal Grolleau wines produced worldwide – a pioneering work by Claude and Nelly, the founders of Clau de Nell. This wine impressively demonstrates that a long-underestimated grape variety is capable of great complexity and ageing potential. Unpretentious, authentic, highly recommended.