Dhommé 'Clos des Fresnaies' 2023 Blanc Anjou

750ml bottle
12.8% abv

Full & generous, yet fresh. Lemon and ripe pear on the nose & palate with delicate minerality, lively acidity, and floral hints. Structured and balanced with a persistent mineral finish.

100% Chenin Blanc. Vines approximately 30 years old. Hand-harvested. Fermented and aged in old oak barrels. Certified organic since 2014. No artificial herbicides or pesticides.

The Clos des Fresnaies parcel sits on the right bank of the Loire at Chalonnes-sur-Loire, at the confluence of the Loire and the Layon, a site with exceptional geological diversity and a microclimate conducive to slow, even ripening. Soils are silty-clay over a subsoil of brown schist and quartz. The schist imparts smoky, mineral character noted consistently across vintages. South and southeast-facing exposures on the slopes above the confluence.

Domaine Dhommé is a four-generation family estate based in Chalonnes-sur-Loire, southwest of Angers, at the heart of Anjou. The 22-hectare domaine is planted primarily to Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, with smaller parcels of Chardonnay, Grolleau, Gamay, and Pineau d'Aunis. Winemaker Xavier Dhommé farms the estate organically and produces across several appellations (Anjou, Coteaux du Layon, Savennières, and Crémant de Loire), with the Clos des Fresnaies representing the flagship dry white Chenin Blanc.

The Clos des Fresnaies is one of the domaine's most decorated wines, receiving a Coup de Coeur from the Guide Hachette for the 2002 vintage and consistent recognition across subsequent vintages. The schist and quartz subsoil of the parcel gives the wine a distinctive mineral backbone and smoky character that sets it apart from the rounder, more limestone-influenced Anjou blancs from elsewhere in the appellation. At around 4,000 to 5,000 bottles per vintage, production is small. A reliable, cellar-worthy dry Chenin at a price that remains honest to the appellation's value tradition.