Pascal Janvier Jasnieres

Where is it? North from everything you know in Loire. On the Loir, a tributary running from near Touraine’s northern border with Normandy down to the Loire proper. Nobody grows grapes here. which must make Pascal Janvier a somebody among nobody. Sixty hectares are farmed, mostly on a south-facing middle swath of a 4-kilometer-long stretch of hillside. Like I said, nothing. As a point of comparison, Touraine total is 15,000 hectares. Jasnieres is barely 1/3 of one percent of the region. But it is an important little place, known since the time of Henri IV as the great centre of Loir (not Loire) wine cultivation.

What is it? Chenin Blanc grown in a region small enough to take its name from a single enclosed vineyard or clos. The soils have plenty of silex and rock and the growing conditions are decidedly cool-climate, which is wine geek speak for this being a region capable of making exceptional mineraly white wines. Somewhat counter-intuitively, cooler climates can be  where real flavor development is possible to create complex wines. In Jasnieres, harvest can be in October or even early November without any threat of the potential alcohol levels in finished wines becoming unpleasantly high. These extra weeks are when the grapes and their component seeds and stems and skins can lose any trace of greenness and achieve a rare perfect balance of complex, mature flavor and fresh, vibrant acidity. Less radiant heat over the course of the viticultural cycle means more acidity in grapes at harvest, a vital component in the wines of Jasnieres.   

Who is he? Pascal Janvier has been farming his 10 hectares of vines for nearly two decades. He was not born to be a vigneron: he found his passion after formative years in art school. This makes sense. This bottle shows the hand of a creative, intellectual grower. Served cold, the chalky lime brightness of his white wine makes me crave fish, particularly tender grilled octopus tentacles. But since my every wish does not come true, any fresh frutti di mare  will do just fine.