Les Petites Roches blanc AOC 2024

Wine description for Les Petites Roches blanc AOC 2024 by Charles Joguet

Colour & appearance

Pale yellow with silvery reflections, clear and bright in the glass – a wine that promises freshness even visually.

Nose

White blossoms and crisp pome fruit, alongside stone fruit, lemon tart and a chalky minerality. Almost like a young Riesling, only less playful – rock and herbs lend contour and seriousness to the bouquet.

Palate

Juicy, crisp, precise. Young fruit, citrus notes, a marked acidity that is remarkably well integrated. Add to this a suggestion of pebbles one could suck on, and a hint of brown sugar – without ever becoming sweet.

Finish

Chalky and taut, with saline tension and a lingering echo of lemon and stone. Dry, clear, without any heaviness.

Terroir & origin

Two hectares on the left bank of the Vienne in Anché – clay-limestone soils, rather unusual for Chenin in this area. Charles Joguet once revolutionised Chinon through parcel-by-parcel vinification; this vineyard site belongs to the same terroir-driven philosophy.

Grape variety & vinification

Pure Chenin Blanc from early-harvest grapes and younger vines in the Charmes vineyard site. Pneumatic pressing, five months in stainless steel – no wood, no distraction, just fruit and soil.

Food pairings

Oysters or mussels in white wine broth, grilled pike-perch, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, fresh goat’s cheese on herb bread. Also a delight on its own on the terrace.

Special features

A white wine from a red wine estate – and not merely a by-product, but an independent expression of Chenin: crystalline, youthful, without wax or the weight of maturity. Certified organic since 2016.