Domaine Vincendeau, 2022 Update
A few years have passed since I first met Liv Vincendeau. At that time, back in 2017, she had been tending to her small parcel of vines, near Rochefort-sur-Loire, for just three years. Her portfolio of wines was small, featuring sparkling and rosé cuvées, alongside which I discovered an interesting cuvée of Anjou Blanc under the name Le Raguenet. It was a promising first encounter.
Liv was not born into a family of viticulteurs. She originates from Germany, and it was during her time studying chemistry in York, England, that she first found herself drawn towards wine. It must have had a profound effect on her, because on completing her degree she immediately relocated to the Loire Valley. After first gaining some experience in the region, working alongside Jo Pithon and René Mosse, among others, she went on to acquire those first vineyards.
In the time that has passed since that first meeting and tasting, however, quite a lot has changed (and I’m not talking about the pandemic). Thus now seems like an appropriate moment to revisit the wines of Liv Vincendeau, and to provide an update on the domaine.
The Domaine Today
Even at that early stage, Liv was restructuring her vineyards and modifying the way they were worked. Alongside the Chenin Blanc already established, she planted a parcel of Grolleau Noir, and a conversion to organic viticulture was underway, Liv having begun working in this manner in 2015. In 2019, however, she went one step further in changing to biodynamics. The domaine was certified biodynamic by Demeter in 2020.
