Nocturne by Robinot: Natural as the Pineau D'aunis

The Loire Valley, a beautiful gem of French territory, offers one of the richest and most enviable cultural heritages in the world!
Imposing castles set amid breathtaking verdant landscapes are made even more evocative by their magnificent architectural interventions.
The Loire Valley, aptly nicknamed "the Garden of France," is also synonymous with quality wine and is one of the country's most extensive wine-growing regions. Appreciated above all for its famous white wines, the products of this land are made unique by the Terroir, rich in fossil sediments, and by the moderating influence the Atlantic has on the climate. Near the coast temperatures are milder, but moving inland the climate becomes continental.
The vineyards around Tours, Anjou and Saumur that frame the Loire river enjoy a varied soil composed of red schist in Anjou, chalk and limestone in Saumur and in the Touraine.
Among these hills we discover a recently reappraised enological treasure, capable of producing superb reds and elegant rosés: this is Pineau d'Aunis, also called Chenin Noir by local growers.
The variety appears to have no genetic connection with the Pinot family, even though the conical shape of the cluster is very similar. These stunning conical and compact clusters almost recall the shape of a pine cone, and it is precisely from this that the name Pineau or Pinot derives.
Having clarified the origin of the first part of the name, the second part instead derives from a monastery that once stood near Saumur. The Prieur D'Aunis monastery still exists, and its winemaking tradition lives on, as does the passion for producing wine.
The incredible adaptability of the variety in the Loire Valley might suggest that this precious vine is native to this particular French area; perhaps it is, or perhaps it arrived in the Vendée together with salt merchants who circumnavigated the Atlantic zone.
The red wines obtained from it in centuries past were appreciated above all among the higher social classes.
The success of this vine, however, lost some of its shine around 1950 when focus shifted to varieties more popular on the international market, and many hectares of Pineau d'Aunis gave way to the cultivation of Cabernet Franc.

Pineau d'Aunis continued its story thanks to the dedication and toil of a few farmers deeply tied to tradition.
Pineau d'Aunis is part of the Appellation Coteaux Du Loir, where old vines sink their roots into a soil composed of red earth and limestone: among the steep slopes enclosed within this Appellation, lush vines flourish belonging to an important wine estate that puts nature first.
Moving is the Pineau D'Aunis of Jean-Pierre Robinot, who has been conducting his production for years now, forgoing chemical weed control and all those practices that would make the realization of his natural wines impossible.
He was not always a vigneron – Robinot owned a wine bar in Paris where he frequently served organic labels.

His love for that style of wine was such that he wanted to produce it himself, so he returned to his hometown of Chahaignes and founded his estate, which stands on a terroir composed of red clays, silica and limestone.
His wines are unfiltered, no sulfites are added, the harvest is manual as is the disgorgement à la volée, the grapes are not destemmed, yields are low...
These are some of his cornerstones for creating the ideal wine, together with the exclusive use of indigenous yeasts.
Tasting his wines is a unique experience!
One is immediately struck by the label painted by hand by Robinot himself – the emotion begins right there!
Pineau d'Aunis lends itself excellently to Robinot's cultivation methods and is the protagonist of his reds; foremost among them is Nocturne vintage 2011, vinified as a single variety with no sulfite additions and no filtration whatsoever.
It ages 24 months in old wood.
Before opening the bottle one inevitably lingers over the label, where the writing "Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin" signifies that all the grapes used to produce the wine come from Robinot's own estate.
There is indeed a second range of wines, "L'Opéra des Vins," where grapes from other estates are carefully selected by Robinot personally.
After studying the label, it is time to open the bottle.
One is immediately enveloped by pleasant spicy and peppery notes that intensify when sniffing the lower end of the cork that had been resting in contact with the wine. Sometimes it is enough simply to "listen" to the cork to let it tell the story of the greatness of the wine one is about to taste.
In the glass it presents a vivid ruby with a rim that is gradually shifting towards garnet. On the nose it is a pleasant triumph of aromas, from the spice of an almost pungent pepper, to rhubarb candy.
One is soon enveloped by a pleasant balsamic note that accompanies delicious hints of wild berries and floral nuances reminiscent of a delicate rose.
After a few minutes resting in the glass one can still perceive a certain vinosità – very elegant – that softens the entire bouquet of aromas.
The tasting is captivating.
The tip of the tongue is enveloped by a pleasant sweetness that almost invites one to chew this wine, which then closes with persistent spicy tones. An elegant tannin that leaves the palate clean and impatient to welcome the next sip.