Domaine de Belliviere "Le Rouge Gorge" Coteaux du Loir 2022

Press 2 • May 2025 Direct Press Selection

Located on a tributary 30 miles north of Tours, on the banks of the Loir river (a back-water tributary of the Loire) the tiny, twin appellations of Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir almost didn’t make it. In 1956, a bitter cold vintage almost shuttered both appellations, and apparently most farmers gave up or lost their vineyards. Even now, despite a centuries-long tradition of making wine here, there are few producers. These are the northernmost appellations in western France, and by all accounts it’s an extreme place to grow grapes. Without Domaine de Belliviere — and their rare breed of naturally made, biodynamically grown, old-vine wines — the region might not even be on the map. Founded in 1995, the domaine produces Chenin Blanc and the nearly extinct Pineau d’Aunis from 15 hectares of vines spread across 65 parcels, and their vines are some of the oldest in the region. The wine we are featuring today is sourced from 11 parcels!

 

The wine is named Rouge Gorge or "Red Throat" in honor of a small finch that appears in the vineyards in the springtime. This is the only red wine that Domaine de Belliviere produces every year, and it’s one of my favorite Pineau d’Aunis. This isn’t a grape I thought we’d ever feature in this wine club — it usually produces non-remarkable, quaffable bistro wines that sit somewhere between a proper red and a rose — but this one is given a serious treatment, and frankly, you just don’t see that very often. The result is a rustic, full bodied red that has oh so much lift. 

 

The Pineau d'Aunis vines are scattered amongst many Bellivière parcels and range in age from 25 to 45 years old. The soils are generally flinty clay over tuffeau (soft limestone); the vines are kept to a maximum yield of 25 hl/ha.The grapes are destemmed, crushed and fermented dry with native yeasts. Each parcel is vinified separately, and maceration lasts for up to a month (depending on the parcel), with occasional punch downs. After fermentation the wine is blended and aged in a used barrel for approximately 18 months before bottling. 30ppm of S02 added at bottling. 

 

After opening, be prepared to give the wine some air. Aromas of blueberry, violets, almond powder, and pencil eraser, this is very peppery and tannic on the palate but will open up with decanting to show more of the ripe blueberry and violet notes. It's a filigreed wine with gravitas but rare is the Pineau d’Aunis with so much aging potential, and this one will continue to improve, no doubt, for the next 3-7 years. Matthew Hawkins and Jonathan Kemp