LA TAILLE AUX LOUPS – JACKY & JP BLOT

Jacky Blot was a maverick, an unwavering pioneer, unafraid of taking calculated risks. Blot, alongside Francois Chidaine, has been instrumental in the reinvention of Chenin Blanc in the heart of its ancestral home – Montlouis-sur-Loire and Vouvray.

The history of Domaine de la Taille aux Loups begins in the late 1980s when Blot purchased 8 hectares of vines aged between 50 and 75 years old and began the process of organic certification almost immediately.

The reputation of the Blots as winemakers has been built on the superb Montlouis Chenin Blanc produced at Domaine de la Taille aux Loups. Jacky Blot and his son Jean-Philipe take a somewhat Burgundian approach in their vineyards, separating small parcels and vinifying individual plots. Each cuvée becomes a transparent expression of the specific site, vintage and grape variety – a statement by the land from where it is reaped. The resulting wines are modern, crisp, terroir-driven Chenin Blanc and their approach has yielded outstanding results.

Continuing down the pioneering path, saw the Blots reach into the realm of red wine after acquiring Domaine de la Butte in the early 2000s. This is a gorgeous 14-hectare estate focusing only on Cabernet Franc. The wines produced here receive the same organic farming practices, hand-harvesting, wild-yeast fermentation and minimal intervention and the resulting wines are equally dramatic.