There are few wines in the world, little alone white wines, that offer the ability to age so gracefully and offer such pleasure to drink along their lifetime as Chenin Blanc, especially off-dry or sweet Chenin.
One such treasure is Coteaux du Layon, found in the spiritual home of Chenin Blanc the Loire. Located in the Anjou district, on the Southern bank of the river and along the tributary river Layon, which feeds into the Loire, these famous sweet wines can be named Coteaux du Layon (CdL), CDL Village from one of 20 villages, or with their own AOP from the two villages Bonnezeaux and Chaume.
With the best vineyard sites on the Northern bank of the Layon, the area produces many different styles of wine, from off-dry to fully botrytis super stickies, similar to Trockenbeerenauslese.
With a temperate oceanic influenced climate it is particularly dry for the region. The appellations vineyards grow on slopes with good sun exposure and ventilation, encouraging early plant growth and reliably overripe harvests, perfect for high sugar accumulation.
Minimum sugar levels in Coteaux du Layon and village wines is 34g/l, whilst those from Chaume have a minimum of 68g/l and must be affected by Botrytis.
So what do they taste like and why should you have these in your cellar?
Key to these Chenin wines is the classic interplay of Sweetness Vs Acidity, something Chenin has in spades. Generally these wines are a deep golden colour, often with fine green hints, that develop into yellowy gold then amber as they get really old. Intense on the nose these can range from tropical especially pineapple and mango, to the more classic dry characters of Chenin such as honeysuckle, quince, lanolin, candid fruit and apricot. Those characters come through on the palate, the balance of sweetness and acidy keeping the palate clean and fresh when young, and building complexity as they age. Nougat, roasted almond, honey, figs start to emerge with extended aging but always with a long finish driven by the tight line of acidity.
Another great reason for getting some CdL in the cellar is value. Entry level wines offer huge value for money and age well, top end wines come at a huge discount to anything remotely similar from Alsace, Germany or Hungry. The terroir and winemaking history that comes with these wines is immense, yet you can pick up even mature wines at great prices at auction.
Thirsty yet? Here are a few to hunt out:
Baumard – Coteaux du Layon ‘Carte d’Or’
Florent Baumard’s passion for making fresher styles of sweet wines, the result is superb dessert wine experience. This wine is magical with desserts, blue cheese, foie gras or even a tarte tatin. “The residual sugar here is 90 g/l; the maximum for this cuvée tends to be about 100 g/l, otherwise Florent feels it can lack freshness. Sweet pear flesh with a matchsticky overlay on the nose. It has a little honeyed apricot, but on the whole the style is light and open. The palate shows a very appealing concentration, with white peach, white pear flesh, a delightfully match-sticky freshness and also a beautifully bright acidity. For an entry-level cuvée this has very nice fruit and tension, but also a delicious minerally frame for it all. Very good indeed.” thewinedoctor.com
Domaine Belargus ‘Layon’ – Coteaux du Layon
Adapting their approach each vintage, the various plots are harvested at their optimum maturity at incredibly low yields of around 25 hectolitres per hectare. Fermentation occurs in barrel using indigenous yeasts, and can last from less than a month to more than a year, depending on each plot and the vintage characteristics.
“Smooth and delicate on the palate, this is a seamless, perfectly balanced moelleux with fine, crystalline acidity and fully ripe and sweet, highly elegant and refined fruit. The finish is sensationally long and stimulating. This is a great Layon to have for its own, with cheese or an apricot tart. 96 points” Stephan Reinhardt – Wine Advocate (July 2021)
Moulin Touchais – Coteaux du Layon
Founded in 1787, Moulin Touchais has been passed down through eight generations of vignerons. The estate is renowned for producing a sweet Chenin that is aged a minimum of 10 years in the seemingly endless cellars dug out from the local Tuffeau (Chalky) soils, located hidden away in the village of Doué-la-Fontaine.
Regarded as the most extraordinary of the Loire’s Coteaux du Layons, the vins moelleux from this historic estate age well for 50 to 100 years. This isn’t marketing hype, this writer was lucky enough to try a vertical tasting from 2009, their current release at the time, all the way back to 1968. Jean-Marie Touchais then asked if we wanted to try something really special, of course the room was filled with wine writers and winemakers, he then bought out two bottles of 1947 CdL, to see a room in awe of the tiny drop of amber liquid in their glass was immense. An incredible wine, still holding up, delicate, rich, still a touch sweet but all flavours in the honey and almond spectrum. To think of what’s occurred in the world since that went into bottle?? A wonder of wine. Current releases are not expensive, perfect for milestone anniversary’s or birth years.
Founded in 1787, Moulin Touchais has been passed down through eight generations of vignerons. The estate is renowned for producing a sweet Chenin that is aged a minimum of 10 years in the seemingly endless cellars dug out from the local Tuffeau (Chalky) soils, located hidden away in the village of Doué-la-Fontaine.
Regarded as the most extraordinary of the Loire’s Coteaux du Layons, the vins moelleux from this historic estate age well for 50 to 100 years. This isn’t marketing hype, this writer was lucky enough to try a vertical tasting from 2009, their current release at the time, all the way back to 1968. Jean-Marie Touchais then asked if we wanted to try something really special, of course the room was filled with wine writers and winemakers, he then bought out two bottles of 1947 CdL, to see a room in awe of the tiny drop of amber liquid in their glass was immense. An incredible wine, still holding up, delicate, rich, still a touch sweet but all flavours in the honey and almond spectrum. To think of what’s occurred in the world since that went into bottle?? A wonder of wine. Current releases are not expensive, perfect for milestone anniversary’s or birth years.
