Clau de Nell, 2016 Anjou Rouge
Cab Franc du Jour #22
The present-day story of Clau de Nell begins in 2006 with pioneering Burgundian winemaker Anne-Claude Leflaive. The late Anne-Claude and her husband Christian were visiting biodynamically run estates in the Loire Valley when they came across Clau de Nell, already regarded as a jewel of an estate and a rising star in the region. The previous owners fell into financial difficulty in 2008, and Anne-Claude and Christian purchased the property. Today the estate is run by Christian and his daughter, with viticulture and winemaking led by Sylvain Potin.
The estate’s vineyards form one contiguous plot of 12 hectares in Ambillou-Château in Anjou, about 13km southwest of the Loire River, with Angers to the northwest and Saumur to the northeast. The vines are farmed biodynamically with Demeter certification, a direct reflection of Anne-Claude’s remarkable legacy as one of the great pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy.
The estate has 4.5 hectares of Cabernet Franc, and today’s wine is 100% Cabernet Franc from vines of 45 to 55 years of age, planted on a silty-sand topsoil composed of sandstone and red flint over a limestone bedrock. The wine is vinified with indigenous yeast and aged in older pièce barrels for 12 months.
Wine Details
Producer: Clau de Nell (Anne-Claude Leflaive)
Appellation: Anjou Rouge
Communes: Ambillou-Château
Soils: Sandstone and red flint silty-sandy topsoil over a limestone
Alcohol: 12.5%