Introducing Domaine Théo Blet, 2025
Returning to the Loire Valley again and again means I meet a lot of familiar faces. There are some domaines in this region I first visited more than thirty years ago, and one or two of them are still under the direction of the same individual. Almost all of them are still in the hands of the same family, and while the next generation has since taken charge, the parent still lingers in the background, adopting to their new role of emeritus vigneron.
Meeting a less familiar face is always a pleasure, especially if the wines they have made are also of interest (well, in truth, this last part is essential!). Earlier this year one young viticulteur and vigneron I met seemed to fit the bill. Please allow me to introduce you to Théo Blet.
Théo and his Vines
I make the distinction between viticulteur and vigneron because Théo Blet is a fourth-generation viticulteur; his great grandparents, grandparents and parents each took their turn in tending the family’s various parcels of vines, which these days total 15 hectares, but they never vinified the fruit; instead these three generations chose to sell their grapes to the local co-operative. Théo, however, is clearly of a different bent; he has decided to follow the process through to vinifying, bottling and selling his own wine; he is a first-generation vigneron, and his earliest vintages show a lot of promise.
