Montlouis sur Loire Les Hauts de Husseau

Dry Chenin Blanc from Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups, the Loire estate Jacky Blot took over in 1992 to drag Montlouis-sur-Loire out of Vouvray's shadow. Jacky died in May 2023; his son Jean-Philippe (JP) Blot, who had been hands-on in the cellar for over a decade, runs the domaine today.

Les Hauts de Husseau is a blend of five parcels in the northern part of Montlouis, around the Husseau hamlet - the highest ground in the appellation. Vines are predominantly 70 to 90 years old, on thin flinty clay over tuffeau-style limestone bedrock close to the surface. Indigenous-yeast fermentation in barrel: 20% new oak with the balance split across 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-year barriques. No malolactic - a Blot signature that preserves Chenin's natural acidity.

The cuvée was renamed from "Rémus Plus" with the 2015 vintage. Style is sec (dry), built to age, racy and mineral.

2022 Loire vintage: tough start with early-April frost, then one of the hottest European summers on record. Chenin held its acidity better than feared; balanced wines with both concentration and freshness.