La Famille Mosse 'Magic of Juju' Blanc 2022

At the beginning of their wine career, Agnès and René Mosse owned a retail shop/wine bar hybrid in Tours, France. Before long they were beginning their winemaking journey, studying viticulture and oenology at the agricultural lycée in Amboise. (One of their teachers, Christian Chaussard, was the owner and winemaker at one of our faves, Domaine Le Briseau!)After graduation, they honed their skills working in Côte de Beaune for two years before buying their own estate in the Anjou region of the Loire Valley circa 1999. They were practicing organic from the get-go, even going above and beyond to treat their vines and soil with biodynamic preparations. These days, René is retired, his sons Sylvestre and Joseph having taken the helm alongside Agnès. The duo came on board in the early 2010s and have been leading the winemaking process since 2014. 

In the best possible way, Magic of Ju-Ju wasn’t what I was expecting when I tried to estimate what a Chenin Blanc x Sauvignon Blanc blend would be like. From its almost-hazy pale gold color to the up-front pot pourri and slate notes.  This wine has a nice lilt to it, with meyer lemon, lemongrass, and a hint of apricot all appearing on the palate. Most surprising is the mouthfeel—for two grapes that pack a wallop on acidity, there’s a surprising roundness. The faint creaminess owed to malolactic fermentation tops off the complex nature of this bottle. Extremely fun to sip!

Demi Elder