Pascal Janvier - Coteaux du Loir Rouge 2022 750ml (12.5% ABV)

Pascal Janvier never planned on becoming a vigneron. Though his parents had vineyard land of their own, they did not make their own wine. Instead, he went to school to learn butchery. However, Pascal made a sudden about-face at the age of thirty and decided to study winemaking in Amboise.

Starting slowly, he has mastered his craft with a focus and passion that is contributing towards the revival of the small appellation of Jasnières.

from Kermit Lynch:

"One of the Loire’s rarest red grapes, Pineau d’Aunis is downright obscure compared to the region’s golden child, Cabernet Franc. As with many of France’s grape varieties, Pineau d’Aunis was nearly wiped out by phylloxera in the 1860s. A notoriously finicky grape, it was widely replaced with easier-to-grow, higher-yielding varieties. Pineau d’Aunis acreage had been in steady decline until around twenty years ago when local vignerons, fearing its impending extinction, began an effort to put the indigenous variety back on the map. Only about a thousand acres are planted to Pineau d’Aunis in France today. In the Coteaux du Loir appellation, Pascal Janvier dutifully tends his vines to craft a 100% Pineau d’Aunis cuvée—the only bottling of this extraordinary grape in our entire portfolio. 
     In the glass, his Cuvée du Rosier looks (and often drinks) like young Pinot Noir. Its bright strawberry and sour cherry notes lead into a spicy finish recalling cracked pepper. Juicy and lively thanks to a palate-tickling hint of effervescence, it is best served slightly chilled, as you would a Beaujolais, and can be paired with anything (or nothing at all), but goes especially well with tricky-to-pair dishes that have a kick. This wine is truly a knockout with spicy food, and the KLWM staff delights in swapping stories of matchmaking it with the plethora of takeout options we have in and around the Bay Area. From zesty curries to kimchi bibimbap, a chilled glass of this hidden gem cuvée will refresh a sizzling palate like a cooling elixir, while at the same time enhancing all the flavors at table."

25 year old vines, clay sand soil

Jasnières, in the department of the Sarthe in the Val du Loir. The Loir is a tributary of the Loire River, and its viticultural area is the most northerly (and coldest) of the greater Loire region. The once proud appellations of Jasnières and the Coteaux du Loir (the preferred wines of King Henri IV)

Juicy and lively with a hint of effervescence. obscure varietal Pineau d'Anuis is getting some attention here with a pretty light ruby red hue, strawberries, subtle herbaceous garrique bouquet, sour cherries, minerality, silky pomegranate juice on the palate finishing peppery, tart and dry.

region: Loire Valley, France

varietal: Pineau d'Anuis

style: lively juicy chillable red

farming/cellar: sustainable, The grapes are de-stemmed following the harvest, and then put in cuve for primary fermentation, Pump-overs are done once a day for the extraction of color and oxygenation of the yeasts. Sugar levels are monitored daily, After alcoholic fermentation finishes, the must is pressed, The wine is racked before starting malolactic fermentation, After malolactic is finished, the wine is racked again and bottled.

pairing:  spicy Korean BBQ or a classic bistro burger.