Noëlla Morantin: Tasting & Drinking
It’s fair to say that Noëlla Morantin is stepping into some big shoes in the Cher Valley. Clos Roche Blanche has long been a leader locally, bucking the trend for this small and under-appreciated backwater of the Loire, having established an avid international following for their wines, helped by prominent US importer Louis Dressner Selections. Having said that, I do not think they would have passed their vineyards onto Noëlla if they had not been sure they would be appropriately cared for.
It may be my imagination but I see some elements of Clos Roche Blanche coming through in the wines, in the whites in particular. They have the same robust, deeply grained character, rather than the lighter varietal Sauvignon aromas and flavours so many such wines possess. They also, to be blunt, have an oxidative streak, a characteristic not uncommonly found in the white wines of Catherine Roussel and Didier Barrouillet.
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