The 2021 vintage was a lighter year. Grapes were destemmed and macerated in an open-top fermenter for several weeks before being transferred to barrel for aging. The wine is steely, concentrated and restrained, showing a pronounced peppery note from the sandy soils and a faint sap-like character. Extended maceration yielded smooth tannins and a very mineral, food-friendly finish.
Sylvain Martinez’s wines reveal his modest, hands-on approach. Each cuvée offers a clear, pure expression of site and season. He began winemaking in 2006 with family support, and after a few years expanded to work with a small seasonal team of local people. All vineyard work is done by hand; grapes are carefully selected and gently pressed in a traditional press.
Today he tends a few small parcels near the southern bank of the Loire, about half an hour east of Angers. He farms Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Grolleau and Pineau d’Aunis — the Chenin on classic black Anjou schist and the Pineau d’Aunis on fine, notably sandy soils.
The 2021 vintage was a lighter year. Grapes were destemmed and macerated in an open-top fermenter for several weeks before being transferred to barrel for aging. The wine is steely, concentrated and restrained, showing a pronounced peppery note from the sandy soils and a faint sap-like character. Extended maceration yielded smooth tannins and a very mineral, food-friendly finish.
Sylvain Martinez’s wines reveal his modest, hands-on approach. Each cuvée offers a clear, pure expression of site and season. He began winemaking in 2006 with family support, and after a few years expanded to work with a small seasonal team of local people. All vineyard work is done by hand; grapes are carefully selected and gently pressed in a traditional press.
Today he tends a few small parcels near the southern bank of the Loire, about half an hour east of Angers. He farms Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Grolleau and Pineau d’Aunis — the Chenin on classic black Anjou schist and the Pineau d’Aunis on fine, notably sandy soils.
Producer: Sylvain Martinez
Vintage: 2021
Varieties: 100% Gamay
Country: France
Region: Loire Valley
Alcohol: 12.5%
Terroir/Soil: Sand
Farming Style: Organic
Fining/Filtration: None
Added so2: None
