Jacky Blot

This is juicy, lightly peppery, bright and elegantly smooth Cabernet Franc which is wonderful in its youth. The fruit comes from the bottom part of the slope, hence 'Pied' - foot. This is in contrast to the mid-slope fruit goes into the age-worthy, denser 'Mi-Pente' cuvée. Some vines at the bottom are as old as 80 years, so although the wine is juicy, upfront, and invitingly drinkable, the finish is sustained and persistent with old vine intensity taking this above a simple easy-drinking wine. It’s got a wonderful sour cherry note, with lightly smoky notes.

Like La Bretonnière, this vineyard is also within Vouvray, but cannot use the AOC name since it is vinified in Montlouis. It comes from a south-facing slope, and Jacky and Jean-Philippe are careful to get the picking date right here. Too early and it loses its drama, too late and it feels overweight. It's as dramatic and exciting as it comes: pithy, zesty and fantastically long.

Clos Mosny is a walled 12 hectare vineyard which consistently produces one of our favourite wines from Jacky. It is so beautifully aromatic, with an energetic drive on the palate. The fruit is almost flamboyant in its expression, yet the saline tension of the acidity keeps everything tightly in balance, making this a serious and age-worthy expression of Chenin Blanc. Just a hint of new oak adds a creaminess to the texture. Very long on the finish, with crunchy apple and blossom enveloping the palate.

Some of the vines in this vineyard are over 100 years old, and the wine always has a thrilling concentration and precision derived from the high limestone content of the soil. The fruit is chiselled, nicely tart, with a delicious fresh ripeness underneath - everything you want from Chenin Blanc.

This is as good an introduction to Montlouis as you’ll find, and a top class example of great Chenin Blanc that shows well from early on. The attractive nose is floral and appley, followed by the tart bramley apple acidity typical of Chenin Blanc on the palate, along with a light phenolic grip. Rémus might be the Domaine's entry level white but its quality is not to be underestimated. It’s simply made in a style that Jacky knew would drink well from youth, so don’t hesitate to pull the cork. Expressive, and precise.

This is another of the domaine's outstanding monopole vineyards. Like Clos de Venise, it actually lies within Vouvray, but becuase it is vinified on the other side of the river, in Montlouis, it cannot use the AOC name on its label. This irritating quirk of appellation beaurocracy should not overshadow the quality found here. Bretonnière has astonishing length and persistence. This, combined with its perfectly weighted body gives the impression of both concentration and density as well as a light-as-air frame, make it a captivating Chenin Blanc. It brims with citrus and blossom notes on the nose, with a spicy, saline palate. Yet again a pick of the vintage.

This is the sweet spot of Domaine de la Butte - from right in the middle of the slope - and as such, produces the most complex and ageworthy of this triptych. Jacky and Jean-Philippe hold the wine back for an extra six months in the cellar before bottling as they know: this wine needs time. Its huge concentration and tannic stature are matched to slightly more new oak than the other wines. The density of fruit is more than a match.

This is juicy, lightly peppery, bright and elegantly smooth Cabernet Franc which is wonderful in its youth. The fruit comes from the bottom part of the slope, hence 'Pied' - foot. This is in contrast to the mid-slope fruit goes into the age-worthy, denser 'Mi-Pente' cuvée. Some vines at the bottom are as old as 80 years, so although the wine is juicy, upfront, and invitingly drinkable, the finish is sustained and persistent with old vine intensity taking this above a simple easy-drinking wine. It’s got a wonderful sour cherry note, with lightly smoky notes.

This is as good an introduction to Montlouis as you’ll find, and a top class example of great Chenin Blanc that shows well from early on. The charming nose shows crabapple blossom, followed by the tart bramley apple acidity typical of Chenin Blanc on the palate, along with a lightly phenolic grip. Rémus might be the domaine's entry level white but its quality is not to be underestimated. It’s simply made in a style that Jacky knew would drink well from youth, so don’t hesitate to pull the cork. Smoky, expressive, and precise. It is the final vintage that Jacky made before passing away in summer 2023.

Some of the vines in this vineyard are over 100 years old, and the wine always has a thrilling concentration and precision. In this 2021 the fruit is chiselled, nicely tart, with a delicious fresh ripeness underneath - everything you want from Chenin Blanc. This was arguably the wine that persuaded me this is the best vintage from Jacky Blot I've ever tasted.

This is as good an introduction to Montlouis as you’ll find, and a top class example of great Chenin Blanc that shows well from early on. The charming nose shows crabapple blossom, followed by the tart bramley apple acidity typical of Chenin Blanc on the palate, along with a lightly phenolic grip. Rémus might be Jacky’s entry level white but its quality is not to be underestimated. It’s simply made in a style that Jacky thinks will drink well from youth, so don’t hesitate to pull the cork. Smoky, expressive, and precise in 2021.

Like La Bretonnière, this vineyard is also within Vouvray, but cannot use the AOC name since it is vinified in Montlouis. It comes from a south-facing slope, and Jacky and Jean-Philippe are careful to get the picking date right here. Too early and it loses its drama, too late and it feels overweight. In 2020 it is distinctly pithy and dry, agile and long.

As the name suggests, this fruit comes from the top of the slope. The fruit feels darker than that of the Pied de la Butte, and the tannins are always more present but now with a few years of age these have softened beautifully. There’s a graphite, savoury complexity to the dark fruit and a wonderful texture through the long finish.

Like La Bretonnière, this vineyard is also within Vouvray, but cannot use the AOC name since it is vinified in Montlouis. It comes from a south-facing slope, and Jacky and Jean-Philippe are careful to get the picking date right here. Too early and it loses its drama, too late and it feels overweight. In 2019 it is poised and vibrant, with a saline tension running through, and smoky, floral complexity.

As the name suggests, this fruit comes from the top of the slope. The fruit feels darker than that of the Pied de la Butte, and the tannins are more present. There’s a graphite, savoury complexity to the dark fruit. The texture on the palate is great, quite structured and tight now, but with the potential to carry this wine for many years.

This comes from the mid-slope, where drainage and ripeness are at their best. It produces greater concentration than the others, and has the structure to age well. This is full of dark fruit, with smooth tannins mellowed by the slight increase in oak influence. This is the gem of Jacky’s reds.

Some vines in Les Hauts de Husseau are over 100 years old, and this wine’s complexity and concentration is outstanding. It has Chenin’s typical orchard notes of crisp, tart apple, with some generous honey and apricot tones woven through. This is rich, textured Chenin Blanc with a delicious silkiness.

This comes from the top parcel on the slope. It has lovely dark fruit and bright acidity. This is lively as well as elegant and precise. A silky mouthfeel and a long finish round off what is the dark horse of ‘la Butte’.

Exotic and floral, without the autolytic character of other cuvées. The fruit is sumptuous, there’s citrus and almost orange flower water, mandarin and peaches. It’s ripe with impressive volume, but the acidity keeps it fresh and driven

Very fresh and nicely balanced, with a cool, limestone character and lovely tannins. It’s floral, with clean pure fruit, really crunchy raspberries. This is already very easy to enjoy.

Silky and fresh, with remarkable texture and energy, the 2017 Mi-Pente shows the best of this outstanding vintage. Notes of graphite support fresh berry fruit, with remarkable precision and a limestone texture on the finish.This is a remarkable: and will put so many St-Emilions at many times the price to shame over the years to come.

An expressive nose, with crunchy fruit and impressive volume. It coats the mouth, so textured and mineral, with white flowers and real energy.

With just 30hl extracted from each hectare of this vineyard, tiny yields have allowed the creation of a dense, structured, concentrated wine. Nevertheless, despite its seriousness it retains freshness, and the 30% new oak is in balance. This is stunning, and one for the long haul.

This sparkling pink made from 100% Gamay has been a firm favourite with customers and staff alike. The ‘Zéro’ indicates zero chaptalisation, zero liqueur de tirage, and zero dosage. It is as dry as they come, and made much like a Pet-Nat (pétillant naturel), though the lees are disgorged at the end, meaning the wine is crystal clear and bright in colour. It has a beautiful pithy, pink grapefruit character, a light, scintillating line of freshness through it, and a gentle, creamy mousse.

This sparkling Chenin Blanc has fast become one of our go-to fizzes. It has zero chaptalisation, zero liqueur de tirage, and zero dosage, so is as dry as they come. This 'méthode ancestral' is the same as that used to make Pet-Nats (pétillant naturel) where the fermentation is finished in bottle. But unlike a Pet-Nat, this sees the lees disgorged at the end, meaning the finished wine is crystal clear. The crisp orchard fruit aromas combined with a complex biscuity character on the nose are followed by taut precision and depth of flavour on the palate. The texture of the bubbles is spot on: creamy and persistent. It's one of the most interesting, delicious, and best value sparkling wines you'll find.

This sparkling Chenin Blanc has fast become one of our go-to fizzes. Just like the rosé, this has zero chaptalisation, zero liqueur de tirage, and zero dosage, and is as dry as they come. This ancestral methode is the same as that used to make Pet-Nats (pétillant naturel) where the fermentation is finished in bottle. But unlike a Pet Nat, this sees the lees disgorged at the end, meaning the finished wine is crystal clear. The crisp orchard fruit aromas combined with a complex biscuity character on the nose are followed by taut precision and depth of flavour on the palate. The texture of the bubbles is spot on: creamy and persistent.

This sparkling pink made from 100% Gamay has been the surprise find of this year’s rosé search. The ‘Zéro’ indicates zero chaptalisation, zero liqueur de tirage, and zero dosage. It is as dry as they come, and made much like a Pet-Nat (pétillant naturel), though the lees are disgorged at the end, meaning the wine is crystal clear and bright in colour. It has a beautiful pithy, pink grapefruit character, a light, scintillating line of freshness through it, and a gentle, creamy mousse.