Domaine de la Charmoise
The Sologne is well recognised as a haven for the curious, the iconic, the natural and the idiosyncratic. Here, secreted in a little corner of the Loire Valley, vignerons plough their own furrows, exorcising their own personal viticultural demons. They make wine their way, often with little recourse to appellation regulations, not uncommonly taking advantage of the more flexible Vin de France classification.
Thierry Puzelat is perhaps one of the best-known and most successful names, but there is a cult-like following in some quarters for Claude Courtois of Les Cailloux de Paradis, not to mention Les Maisons Brûlées and of course the onetime ruler of them all, the now defunct Clos Roche Blanche. These are names which will have many fans of the Loire Valley trembling with excitement. Before I knew of any of these domaines, however, it was Henry Marionnet and Domaine de la Charmoise I discovered first.
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