Domaine aux Moines, 2019 Update
I am glad to report that, on the basis of this most recent encounter with her wines, the revolution begun by Tessa Laroche at Domaine aux Moines continues unabated. And this is a very special revolution, one which saw a domaine turning out rather ordinary examples of Savennières, very much in the old-school style, leapfrog to the top tier of this very prestigious appellation. For my palate, this is now one of the go-to domaines in the appellation, alongside Damien Laureau and the newly reinvented wines of Eric Morgat.
The Wines
Starting with the 2016 vintage, this was my first opportunity to revisit the 2016 Savennières Roche-aux-Moines since it was bottled, and the finished wine has exceeded my early expectations. This is a brilliant, fruit-rich yet pure and minerally wine which is brilliant now, but will surely also develop well in the cellar.
As for the 2017 Savennières Roche-aux-Moines, this also promises much. This wine comes from a year in which Savennières suffered a truly catastrophic frost, and many vignerons thought they would harvest nothing in this appellation. As it turned out Tessa had over-estimated the level of damage; even so, the harvest was still a paltry 7 hl/ha. There won’t be much to go around, but what there is looks to be of very high quality, akin to the 2016 vintage.
