2020 Christian Venier Les Hauts de Madon Rouge

WINEMAKER: Christian Venier
REGION: Loire Valley, FR
VARIETAL: Pinot Noir, Gamay
VITICULTURE: Organic

The 2020s are perfect! Fresh and pure! A magnificent balance between fruit, finesse and length...a perfectly successful vintage by Christian, with a bluffing drinkability given the degree of maturity of the grapes. Hand-harvested from 17 year old vines planted to 40ha of flinty clay with rocky subsoils, on Christian’s higher vineyard site called ‘Les Hauts de Madon.’ Semi-carbonic maceration with whole bunches, followed by spontaneous fermentation using natural yeast in a cement and resin tank with low temperature control.

The domaine is situated in the sleepy agricultural village of Madon, balancing on the edge of the southern escarpment 100m above the Loire river, on the plateau of Cheverny. This is France’s garden - asparagus, herbs, vegetables and grain are all on the farming menu, along with viticulture. Christian Venier makes a clear statement that hard and honest vineyard and cellar work are essential to creating healthy natural wine, and implies going further than the standards required by certain certifying labels. He operates, therefore, under the “conventional” farming category. But his practices are purely artisanal and not at all conventional or industrial. The domaine is truly family run: 3 generations work the land and run the business today. The domaine works with a number of authentic and almost forgotten grape varieties unique to the Loire Valley, including Pineau d’Aunis, ­Orbois and Romorantin.