Philippe Chevarin "Le Souffle"

Grapes: Melon de Bourgogne

Region: Loire, France 

Vintage: 2021

Viticulture: Organic 

Soils: Schist

Vinification: Fiberglass tank 

Aging: 6 to 8 months 

Fining or Filtering: None

Sulfur: None 

Notes from the Importer: Starting with two hectares in 2014 (the grapes from this vintage were sold to Pierre-O Bonhomme and René Mosse), Philippe now finds himself with about five hectares of vines. Two thirds of the production consists of Melon de Bourgogne, Gamay, Grolleau and a bit or Cabernet Sauvignon rounding out the lineup. The wines are bottled as Vin de France but would fall under Muscadet-Coteaux-de-la-Loire for the whites and Coteaux d'Ancenis for the reds if under the appellation system. The vines are worked organically and in Ecocert conversion. The previous owner had left them in pretty terrible shape: shockingly many of the parcels are only planted at 50% capacity from neglect. With a few vintages now under his belt, Philippe is increasingly starting to realize that while some plots are worth restoring, others are simply too far gone and need to be abandoned for new land.This coupled with three out of his five first vintages suffering from catastrophic frost/hail/mildew damage has forced Philippe to obtain a négociant license as of the 2021 vintage. - Louis Dressner