Les Vignes de Michel

A single-parcel dry Montlouis-sur-Loire from Xavier Weisskopf's Le Rocher des Violettes. Chenin Blanc off Le Grand Poirier, a small plot of vines planted in 1905 that Weisskopf bought from Michel Morin in 2017 and has bottled on its own since - the cuvee is named for Michel. Sandy-clay soils. The wine is aged two years in 500-litre barrels; dry, and ripe at 14% abv.

Weisskopf started the domaine in Montlouis in 2005, after several years as cellar master under Louis Barruol at Château de Saint Cosme in Gigondas. He farms organically (Ecocert-certified since 2012) and also makes Touraine Cot (Malbec).

2020 was a warm, dry and very early vintage in the Loire; the ripe 14% here reflects it.