Famille Joly

The Coulée of Serrant was planted at the 12th century (1130) by Cisterciens Monks and always remained in vine since.

The year 2008 is thus the 878th consecutive vintage.

The old small monastery which always forms part of the property is classified with the inventory of the historic buildings.

A few hundred meters further and adjacent to the vines one can see the ruins of the old fortress of the Roche aux Moines which secure the Loire and where the son of Philippe Auguste was victorious against Lackland son of Richard the Lionheart, in 1214.

This battle is contemporary of that of Bouvines.

Associated with the fortress, a strengthened alley of 300 meters, said the “Cemetery of the English”, also classified, makes it possible to the visitors to see in a glance the vineyard and the Loire downwards which it dominates.

One finds still a little everywhere on these places charged of history, the vestiges of a deep past, including the Celtique time, Romaine and Carolingian.

The place since remained famous. Louis XI speaks about it with devotion: “the gold drop”. Louis XIV tried to visit it in a coach which got stuck in the mud, “the sovereign conceived some moods” says the rumour. Maurice Constantin Weyer speaks about it, Alexandre Dumas also, and more recently, in the beginning of the 20th century, Curnonsky, the prince of the gastronomes, defined it as one of the 5 best white wines of France..

Exclusively owned by the Joly family, the Coulée de Serrant vineyard is a controlled appellation of only 7 hectares.

The vineyard was planted in 1130 by Cistercian monks and today consists of vines aged from 35 to 80 years old. The old small monastery still exists and a few hundred meters away, the castle of La Roche aux Moines was built and dismantled during the wars of religion.

Always considered as a rare and unique product, the Serrant Casting was celebrated by Louis XI and Louis XIV as one of the best French white wines. The vineyard is cultivated partly by hand and partly by horse because of the steep slopes overlooking the Loire.

Since 1984, the entire estate has been cultivated using biodynamic farming methods. Three wines are produced in small quantities on the property and benefit from the principles of biodynamic agriculture:”Coulée de Serrant”,”Clos de la Bergerie” and “Les Vieux Clos”.

Famille Joly owns 10 hectares of vineyards in total – 7 ha on Coulée de Serrant and 3 ha in Savennières.

AIl three appellation are planted with the chenin vine variety.

The vines planted over the last five years were taken from cuttings selected from the oldest vines on the Coulée de Serrant vineyard (vines dating back to 1920).

This careful selection reinforces the subtleties that the vineyard has expressed over the centuries. The average age of the vines at the Coulée de Serrant is 30 years.

The domaine started biodynamic farming in 1980. Since 1984, the entire vineyards has been farmed biodymalically. Since 1984, no synthetic chemical products, insecticides, systemic products or nitrates have been usel on the property.

A small amount of sulphur and “bouillie bordelaise” (copper and lime) are sprayed each year on the vines (about 10 kilos of “bouillie bordelaise” per hectare, the équivalent of 2,5 kilos of copper). Sulphur has a beneficial effect when the vines are in flower. The amount of copper is limited, an excess would be harmful to the life of the soil.

The grape pickers go througs the vines a number of times over the harvest period. The picking period can sometimes stretch over a period of a couple of months, to en able the bunches to be picked only when they are ripe.

La Coulée de Serrant

7 hectares (lha = 2.471 acres)

The vineyard was planted in 1130 by Cistercian monks.

It is with it only an “appellation controlee” of 7 hectares only. Located on very stiff slopes, dominating the Loire, the vines resulting from the type of vine “chenin” have more than 35 to 40 years of average age; oldest having more 80 years give wood to make new vines carrying the originality of the place. Partly cultivated with the horse, or the hand, the average output is with 20/25 hectolitres per hectare (40 authorized). The ground far from thick, (20 with 40 cm on average) is on a red schist bottom obliques which drains the vines perfectly.

The orientation of the slopes is especially Southern/Southern East (thank you to consult the data sheet for more details). The grape harvest is done in 5 times out of 3 to 4 weeks to obtain the most coloured possible maturity and the most marked by the botrytis.

Wine making  out of barrel of 500 liters (never more than new wood 5%).

Production: approximately 20/25000 bottles per year.

Clos de la Bergerie

It carries another appellation : Savennières Roche aux Moines. The Middle Age of the vines is approximately 25 years. The grounds also made up of schists are a little thicker (30 with 80cm approximately). The outputs are of 25/30 hectolitres per hectare (50 authorized).

The slopes less marked than for Casting are directed towards the east. The wine makings are made out of wood (never more than new wood 5%) and produce approximately 8 000-10 000 bottles per year.

Les Vieux Clos

It carries also appellation Savennières. The vines of an Middle Age of a score of years result from selections massales, and not clonales, to increase aromatic complexity. The grounds are primarily made schists but also sometimes of quartz and more rarely of sand. The outputs are of 30/35 hectolitres per hectare (50 authorized). Wine making out of wood or tank. Production: approximately 15 000 bottles/year.

VITICULTURE

An AOC is marked by its soil and its microclimate. In order for the vines to perfectly seize these originalities, we have adopted rigorous vineyard management methods (since ‘984 all of the vineyards are biodynamic).

Compost on the vines ; this compost comes from our own herd of 10 cows (Nantaises, a rare breed – and Highlands, at home in wetlands) and two bulls to avoid artificial insemination which generates unbalance in the long term.

The cows are nourished the old-fashioned way with grain, beets and hay ; everything being essentially grown on the property. This feed, marked by the local environment produces a compost that is also adopted to the location. This compost is used for the biodynamic preparations.

Natural cover crop ; over time a dozen different species of interesting native plants have grown up around the vines. This limits the negative effects of monoculture.

In the absence of herbicides – systematically forbidden for over 20 years including between the rows – each root generates different microorganisms (mycorrhizae) that permit the vines to seize all of the soil’s subtleties.

Minimal plowing of the soil (covering and uncovering the rows) to avoid mixing the different soil strata. On the section worked by horses (1 ½ hectares) the vines are almost a century old and the soil is plowed completely.

Wintertime passage of a flock of Ouessant sheep in most of the vineyards. This rustic breed feeds on the cover crop and converts it into manure ! In the springtime, a portable chicken coop is installed in the parcels where there are snails.

• Treatment of diseases by biodynamic preparations that reinforce the link between the vine and its archetypal form (disease is only a deficiency of health) and by regular doses of teas of different plants (sage, sorrel, willow, nettle, thuya, elm, oak bark, goemon, arnica, blackthorn, grande cousoude, etc.)  These are medicinal plants that come from the property for the most part, or the mountains where we harvest them on the auspicious date.
• A small amount of copper is used (Bordeaux mixture, 3 to 5 kg of pure copper per hectare per year). Certain parcels have not been treated for 3 years.  Copper is an oligoelement  essential to life. Sulfer is also used, it is also essential to life, but we are replacing it little by little by milk or whey (5 to 10 litres per hectare and per treatment) which is very active against oïdium and very healthy for the vines.
• Respect for the diversity of a environment ; to this end several hectares eligible for plantation in appellation remain wild or as open fields. The diversity of animal and plant life that results represents a source of harmony for the area and enriches the organic life of the soils, therefore the expression of the terroir effect.

• Utilisation of cuttings from our oldest vineyards to renew our vines. The vineyards have existed for almost 1000 years and it is important to conserve the typicity of our Chenins that are perfectly adapted to our own AOC, Coulée de Serrant. As opposed to a clone, it takes 6 years before a significant harvest !
• Severe pruning to limit the yield to 20 – 25 hectos / hectare on average each year, almost half of the authorized limit. This permits every vintage to achieve high levels and also to avoid chaptalization (not practiced at the Coulée in the last 15 years).
• Harvest in 3 to 5 passages over a period of 3 to 4 weeks to be sure that each bunch of grapes is at its optimal maturity.

The Joly family produces three wines of different appellations:

 “La Coulée de Serrant” in appellation “Coulée de Serrant”, monopoly of the family Joly.

“Le Clos de la Bergerie” in appellation Savennières-Roche aux Moines.

“Les Vieux Clos” in appellation “Savennières”.

Chenin gets its complexity only when it is fully ripe – deep yellow. And only healthy, sustainable farming can guarantee this without grey rot. For this reason, all our grapes are picked in four or five passes as each parcel begins to raisin and form botrytis – thereby allowing the mineral flavors of Chenin to achieve their fullest intensity.

Once opened, wines made in this way continue to improve – and are in no way oxydized. 

To be sure that the color is not oxydation you can make the test yourself by tasting each day a glass over several days without putting the bottle in the fridge just recork. You will see the wine improving the first days even sometimes over more than a week. If the wine would be oxydized it would be undrinkable.

Our wines go well with white meat in sauce, fish with beurre blanc or even simply with a good cheese like goat cheese or Cantal.

Open few hours in advance or carafe the wine. Serve at 14°C / 57°F.