Domaine du Clos de l’Élu, 2017 Update
Thomas Carsin’s story starts in Burgundy, where he started out picking grapes as a saisonnier, after which he studied in California, followed by five years working as a consultant in Champagne. It was while working in this large-scale and perhaps more industrial sector that he realised he wanted to work in a different manner, one that was perhaps less interventionist and more connected to the soil. He moved to Provence to gain more winemaking experience, and it was only in 2008 that he eventually came to the Loire Valley. Acquiring a property and some vineyards just down the road from Château de la Roulerie, Domaine du Clos de l’Élu was born.
The range of wines made here follow the typical Anjou profile, with everything from dry white to red, and sweet wines too. The philosophy is organic, and the intervention in the cellar is minimal, although very sensibly Thomas continues to use a little sulphur dioxide as appropriate. The quality is generally good, while Thomas himself remains warm, genial and modest, and as a result the domaine has garnered a significant following. His clients love the purity and style of his wines. His peers admire his character and the results of his work. He has a growing reputation among the organic and biodynamic vignerons of Anjou, and I always enjoy checking in on his wines.
The Wines
In this encounter with the wines of this domaine Thomas (pictured) kicked off with his 2014 La Désirade, a 100% oak-fermented Sauvignon Blanc named for an island in the French West Indies where Thomas lived for a while as a young boy. To Thomas the exoticism of the island was nothing out of the ordinary; his father was a sailor, and so the Carsin family lived in and visited many far-flung places. As for the wine, while I have not generally been very impressed by many cuvées of Sauvignon Blanc from Anjou, this one had grip and texture, and genuine appeal.
