Liv Vincendeau/ Raw Wine New York
Liv Vincendeau: I created the Domäne back in 2014 in a little beautiful village called Rochefort sur Loire. We are a 1.5 hours train ride South West of Paris.. Organic agriculture from day 1 because I grew up like that!. It is a philosophy, a way of life. Vineyards sitting on top of the hill south of the Loire, looking down on this beautiful river and receiving a wonderful climate with some ocean influence (Atlantic just 1 hour away). Very superficial and stony soil. Special Terroir, schiste, quartz, volcanic stones, ...Dry farming and 100% hand harvest. Horse power and sheep too. Mainly Chenin blanc but a bit of red grapes : Cabernet France and Grolleau Noir. We then started the biodynamic way of cultivating our land. Demeter certification followed in 2020. We are a family winery and are working with local & very motivated staff. Our credo is to make elegant, pure wines with love and a lot of attention to the detail. I am very excited to meet everyone at Raw !! From Rochefort with Love
Chambers Street Wines (Eben Lillie): Earlier this year, while researching new winemakers in the Loire, I stumbled upon some information about Domäne Vincendeau, an estate in Anjou that began producing wines in 2014. At the helm of this new estate was not the usual 30-something French guy living in his van, but instead a woman from Germany named Liv Vincendeau, who settled in Rochefort-sur-Loire with her husband in 2013. I met Liv in January and was immediately impressed with her enthusiasm and friendliness. She was excited to share her wines, and explain the decisions she made in each vintage, and though she is a relative newcomer to the region, her knowledge about the grapes and soils of the Loire Valley was on par with any second or third generation winemaker I've met. In June I had a chance to visit her in Rochefort-sur-Loire, to see the vineyards and cellar. From high up on a hill above the Loire, we could see for miles, across the river to Savennieres in the distance. It's a great spot with good soils, and it was obvious to me that Liv had already developed a love for the place and the people, and a deep connection to her vines.
Liv came to the Loire valley in the early 2000s, with the idea to study winemaking and eventually form her own domaine. In 2013, she and her husband discovered an old house for sale at the base of the Loire river in Rochefort-sur-Loire, and with a little research, Liv found a few small parcels above the town. She quickly got to work converting the vineyards to organic farming. In an effort to minimize their carbon footprint, she chose to work the soil with a horse instead of a tractor (and she even drives an electric car!).
Most of Liv's parcels are Chenin Blanc, ranging from 10-80 years old, some Cabernet Franc, Gamay, and a newly planted parcel of Grolleau that she's quite excited about. The sub-soil is mostly schist (who doesn't love Chenin on schist?!) and the vineyards are littered with pieces of green and purple schist, quartz, and other mineral deposits. Winemaking is low-intervention, always indigenous yeast, with small amounts of sulfur added typically only at bottling. The wines are new classic expressions of the Loire, and we're proud to be able to share them with you!
Roni Selects (USA Importer)
The wines of Liv Vincendeau are represented in the USA by Roni Selects.
Roni Selects: Liv Vincendeau came to the Loire in 2000 with the idea of studying winemaking and eventually having her own domain. She moved from Germany and eventually settled in Rochefort sur Loire when she and her husband found an old farmhouse for sale. Quickly she found a small parcel at the top of the town and immediately started the work of converting the vineyard to organic. Most of Liv’s parcels are Chenin Blanc, ranging from 10-80 year old vines. There is some Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Grolleau. The soil is mostly schist with mineral deposits scattered all over the vineyard. Liv believes in low-interventionist winemaking using naturally occurring yeast and minimal sulphur.
Le Carré du Puits
We bought 6 bottles of the 2019 Le Carré du Puits.
Liv Vincendeau: "Le Carré du Puits is a project on its own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX6RZedrahM One plot, planted in 1941 – we have started a selection massale from this vine now and plant all chenin with that selection. The yield is tiny, lower than 10 hl/ha in general but we insist in keeping and continuing to renovate this vineyard (complantation..). We collaborate with a local farmer who comes with his horse to work the soil. We chose a long ageing in barrels to reveal it’s caracter. It is a very structured, mature, expressive wine."
VINTAGE: 2018
REGION: Loire Valley, France/AOC Anjou Blanc
GRAPES: Chenin Blanc
YEASTS: Native with pied de cuve
MACERATION: Direct press
FERMENTATION: Barrel, malo
AGED FOR: 1.5 years in barrel before bottling, 1-2 years in bottle
FILTRATION: Diatomaceous earth
FARMING: Biodynamic, dry farmed
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 14.5%
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 2g
ADDED SO2: 32ppm
VINE AGE: 16 years
SOIL: Schist, volcanic, quartz
TOTAL PRODUCTION: 1000 bottles
VOLUME: 750mL
DOMÄNE VINCENDEAU
Meeting Liv at the Salon des Vins Grenier Saint Jeanin Angers
Meeting Liv at Domäne Vincendeau in Rochefort sur Loire
Bye-bye Liv
See you in June during the Loire Valley Tour 2024 by ombiasy WineTours.
See: Announcement: Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours (Sunday, June 09 - Thursday June 20, 2024)
