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Oh dear, it seems this wine and my palate haven't had their rendezvous yet. Maybe I was letting the wine breathe, or perhaps I was just taking another sip elsewhere. 😉

Fear not, dear wine enthusiast! This bottle's moment in the spotlight is coming soon. In the meantime, why not uncork your own adventure with it? After all, the best wine stories are those we create ourselves. Cheers to new tastings on the horizon! 🥂

Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups

Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups has an interesting history. Although it's now associated with esteemed winemaker Jacky Blot, he wasn't the one who established the domaine. The viticultural maverick who brought La Taille aux Loups into being was Christian Prudhomme, a man from Bordeaux.

Prudhomme wanted to shake things up in Montlouis-sur-Loire. With experience working in the vineyards and cellars of Château Mouton-Rothschild, as well as at Opus One in California, he acquired 7 hectares of old vines in 1988 and set about making wine his way. This included reducing yields by thinning crops, harvesting into small crates to protect the fruit, and fermenting with indigenous yeasts in barrels purchased from Château d'Yquem. The resulting wines were reportedly a testament to his wild dedication.

However, the business collapsed within a year of starting up, for reasons that remain unclear. This was where Jacky Blot entered the story, marking the start of Montlouis' dynamic development, thanks in no small part to his ambitious and active efforts (alongside François Chidaine, another esteemed winemaker from Montlouis).

After working as a courtier for some time, Jacky Blot decided to look for vineyards of his own. The small domaine that Prudhomme had gathered together was available, and Jacky took up where his predecessor had left off, with just those 7 hectares of vines. It was around this time that he met Christophe Mesliand, the son of a viticultural family from Amboise. Jacky hired Christophe as his chef de culture, and the two have worked together at La Taille aux Loups ever since.

Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups is located just 11km from Vouvray, so the house's speciality is Chenin Blanc. However, Blot drew great inspiration from Burgundy, and many of the wines follow a single-vineyard, terroir-driven approach, with a focus on organic viticulture. These whites are known for their precision, length, complexity, and age-ability.

Sadly, Jacky Blot passed away on May 15, 2023. His legacy will live on through the wines produced by his son Jean-Philippe and the teams at Domaine de la Taille aux Loups and Domaine de la Butte (another winery he owned).