2015 l’Epicourchois Cour-Cheverny
Loire Valley, FR
Regular Price $34.99
Sale Price $27.99
Don’t be embarrassed if you’ve never heard of this wine or this region. And I’m willing to bet that almost no one has heard of the grape, Romorantin. In fact, you might be hard pressed to find this wine in wine-shop in Loire. Not only does that make us proud (we really love having obscure and unique wines) but additionally, this wine is great.
The story goes that Romorantin (the grape) was introduced into Loire by KIng Francis I who was from the nearby commune of Romorantin-Lanthenay. That may or may not be true, however, the grape is one of the oldest around…and is a sibling of Chardonnay. Reputedly, the oldest vineyard in France is of Romorantin, having been planted in 1850.
Any way, the wine…these grapes are from 100 year old vines and are vinified in old large oak vats. The wine spends lengthy time on its lies and in bottle before release. Hence, the wine is big and rich with appreciable grip. Not excessively fruity, it is shows more field grass and nut aromas and flavors than fresh fruit, with a backdrop of dried, tart apricots. It’s really quite interesting and really delicious.