Moulin Toichais Coteaux du Layon 1979

Chenin Blanc

Loire Valley, France

The Loire Valley has a long history of producing superb, luscious and riveting sweet Chenin Blanc wines from the appellations of Quarts de Chaume, Bonnezeaux, and Coteaux du Layon. Among the most extraordinary wines in the region are the Coteaux du Layons from Moulin Touchais. While the domaine produces a great number of wines from their 145 hectares of vineyards, the Coteaux du Layon accounts for less than 10% of their production and has earned them a reputation as a true jewel in Anjou.

Founded in 1787, Moulin Touchais has been passed down through eight generations of vignerons. The estate is renowned for producing a sweet Chenin that is aged a minimum of 10 years in the seemingly endless cellars located in the village of Doué-la-Fontaine. This tradition was born following the second World War when wine had little value and was very difficult to sell. Once the market began to rebound and the estate finally released their cellared stocks, they noticed that long-term ageing had resulted in a gorgeous evolution in bottle, and thus, 10 years became the minimum amount of time a vintage must be in cellar prior to release. The estate is one of the few that offers a range of vintages, often 30-40 years old or older!

The longevity and complexity of Moulin Touchais wines are linked to a harvesting strategy where 20% of the grapes are picked around 80 days after flowering when the fruit is slightly under-ripe and loaded with acidity, and the remaining 80% is harvested in multiple passes as late as 100-120 days after flowering, which generally yields fruit with very high concentration and sugar levels. As a general rule, the closer the Layon river gets to the Loire, the more botrytis you will have due to mist and humidity. Since Moulin Touchais is upstream, there is rarely botrytis except in exceptional vintages where noble rot sets in and protects the berries allowing them to gain increased ripeness.