Description

A Fresh and juicy Loire Gamay and Cabernet blend made using mostly whole bunches from schist soils. It’s a simple and straight forward wine that’s attraction is it’s generosity and juicy drive. This winery is taking off fast, and they have seriously great vineyards; everyday wines such as this will become a thing of the past in coming years as they direct the fruit to more serious offerings.

This exciting project was born when Didier Richou, one of the two brothers who ran the much respected Domaine Richou, decided to retire. His younger brother Damien needed help, so brought in three new partners. The project’s aims are simple – to continue and build upon the work done by the Richou brothers, to convert the domaine from organic to biodynamic farming and to make the finest wines possible with the least intervention. These wines are fantastic – sophisticated, distinctive and delicious.

Terra Vita Vinum are based in the heart of the Anjou Noir region, where the soils are quite different to the limestones of Saumur and elsewhere in the Loire. Here we find a geologist’s dream, a complex mix of schists, quartz and volcanic rocks ideally suited to viticulture. Each vineyard’s unique situation, soil and climate gives its own character, clearly translated via the vine into the glass. This is the essence of terroir and central to the philosophy of Terra Vita Vinum.

At last, the dry Chenins of the Loire have started to take their rightful place among amateurs and professionals: world class white wines, capable of embodying the complex nuances of incredibly varied terroirs, with potential for aging. The arrival of Chenin among the great grapes of the world is undeniable. It is easier to admit when speaking of Chenin grown on limestone soil, but the same can be said (but, unfortunately is overlooked) of the Chenin grown on schist. My interest for Chenin on schist is not new, but it is stronger today than ever, because the quality of the production has never been so spectacular and diverse!
PASCALINE LEPELTIER
Meilleur Sommelier de France 2018, MOF