Coulée de Serrant, one of the most prized vineyards in the world and from which this estate takes its name, has been farmed continuously since the 12th century when the Cistercian monks first planted the vineyard. Though the small monastery still exists on the property, the original Château de la Roche aux Moines was demolished in the 16th century during the religious wars. Since before the French revolution, it was already considered to be a rare and unique wine by the kings of France. Highly unusual in France, this 7 hectare vineyard bears its own appellation. The entire estate is planted to Chenin, the great white grape of the Loire.
After having experienced the disastrous effects of chemical fertilizers and pest control, Nicolas Joly began transforming the vineyards to biodynamic farming in 1981. Since 1984, the entire estate has been certified organic and biodynamic by both Ecocert and Demeter, the leading European certification organizations. Since that time, Joly has tirelessly taught and preached the benefits of this form of agriculture and in fact he is now considered to be the foremost expert and promotor in the world. This field, though now considered almost mainstream by passionate wine aficionados, was very much a fringe movement back in the early 1980s, and Joly can take much of the credit for this progress.
2015 HARVEST PHOTOS
www.coulee-de-serrant.com
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