La Coulée de Serrant (Savennieres) dates back to the 12th century, when the Cistercian monks first worked this piece of land. The plot has its own appellation and its seven hectares are planted exclusively with chenin blanc. The soils are schist and the vines are only worked with animal traction and vegetable preparations.
The vineyard belongs to Nicolas Joly, the leading figure in biodynamic viticulture. Following in the footsteps of Rudolf Steiner, Joly started biodynamic agriculture in 1980 and since 1984 all his vineyards have been cultivated according to this methodology. He has written several books on the subject, the most famous being “Wine from heaven to earth”, “What is biodynamic wine” and “Demystifying biodynamic wine”.
In addition to the natural vinification according to biodynamic criteria, Joly uses no selected yeasts, no chemicals, no chaptalisation, but only adds a minimum of sulphur dioxide at the time of bottling. The result is a natural, highly complex wine, which offers a myriad of nuances depending on the day it is opened. Joly himself recommends opening the wine two or three days in advance and assures that the wine does not oxidise if left open for several days, and even improves.
La Coulée de Serrant is one of those magical vineyards that dazzle as soon as you set foot on its soil and the view goes around every corner of the hillside where it sits.
The last time I was there we ate in front of the vineyard. On a small hill behind the house. A table and several chairs surrounded by vines. We had bought some cold meats, bread and fruit. Of course, we had several bottles of wine with us. There were probably some good restaurants in the area, but I don’t think we would have eaten as well as we did there. Shortly afterwards, Nicolás Joly appeared unexpectedly and we chatted with him. He gave us a little masterclass on biodynamics that made the day even more unforgettable. Because in the world of wine, things happen just like that, without foreseeing them. The stars end up aligning among those of us who are passionate about the world of wine. Each of us may be from a different part of the world, or even have different jobs, but wine unites and creates a magical halo that makes everything simple.