Every winemaker will tell you that their love for wine growing started with a passion. Loic Mahe is no different but he took it to a higher level.
After a three-year period of apprenticeship and research, Loic took over a wonderful piece of land in A.O.C Savennières (the name Savennières refers to a protected origin) on soils of weathered shale facing due south. He had to start from scratch as it was very barren looking.
With patience and perseverance, he succeeded in re-creating his vineyard, thanks to the support of young and old wine growers alike. He planted his first vines in 2000, then gradually took over some attractive plots of old vines in the Coteaux de l’Aubance and in Savennières, to gradually build up the small vineyard of the Gué d’Orger: 10 hectares of Chenin and Cabernet vineyards, located on banks of the Loire, south of Angers.
His approach is quite simple:
- The soils are living. The environment is prepared by means of the work on the soil, replacing artificial fertilizers with biodynamic preparations (certification of Biological Agriculture by Ecocert ).
- Yields are restricted (30-35hl/ha) in order to achieve a natural concentration of matter in the fruits.
- Grapes are exclusively picked by hand, and this is realized in one or several qualitative sorting operations.
- To continue the spirit of the work carried out on the vineyards, winemaking also has to be a natural process: a slow fermentation by natural yeasts, no chaptalization, and little sulfites, maturing in oak barrels or in small tanks.
His philosophy is also very simple, that is to help nature work towards producing balanced, authentic wines, each one of them expressing the typicality of the winery’s terroirs.
With a foolproof formula, it is no wonder that one of his wines earned a Gold Medal in the recently concluded Japan Awards 2019.
This is a dry white wine that grows mainly on fewer soils and is kept for 10 to 18 months in oak barrels and small tanks.
It is a delightful Savennières that marries the power of the soil, with a pleasing structure possessing a subtle bitterness, to the unctuousness of fully ripened grape berries.
It makes a very good accompaniment for cooked fish, white meat, or slowly refined hard cheese.
To be served at 12-13 °C. Leave the wine in a decanter for 2 to 4 hours before serving. Can be kept for 8 – 10 years.
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