Gasnier Chinon Blanc Le Clos de la Cure 2023

On my last trip to visit Fabrice – after an incredible dinner, he took me by the estate to visit his new cave for cellaring. Little did I know, he meant an actual cave. He bought a piece of property and later discovered a cellar carved into a hillside of chalk sometime around the 9th century!?!. He had no idea it was there.

The best part was at the opening of the cave there is a pizza/bread oven dug right into the wall. I promised Fabrice I would cook him dinner in it when he completed his renovation. How awesome will that be when I get to cook in an oven 900 years old?

The most unique, interesting and flat out delicious wine we drank with Fabrice was his incredibly rare Chinon Blanc, crafted from Chenin Blanc grapes. It’s not just rare for Fabrice, it’s rare for the entire area. Chinon is a sea of red grape vines, Chenin represents just 2% of the entire production. Fabrice makes a whopping 300 cases.

I’ve told you about my love for Chenin before, it’s generally my go-to white variety whenever Melissa and I go out to dinner. The good ones have the complexity of white Burgundy matched with the acidity of Sancerre. Fabrice’s is not good, it’s great.