Domaine Nebout "L'Incompris du Tressalier" Vin de France, Loire Valley, France 2022

FROM NORTH BERKELEY IMPORTS:

THE WINE: 100% Tressalier. An ancient grape and one that is cultivated exclusively in and around the historic village of Saint-Pourçain, near the Loire Valley in south-central France. A rare taste of vinous history! Aromas of oyster shells and sea salt blend with flavors of Meyer lemons, key limes and fresh nuts. (This wine in previous vintages was called ‘Le Tressallier de Gravières.’ As of the 2016 vintage, French laws no longer allow 100% Tressallier wines to be labeled under the Saint-Pourçain AOC. Thus it is now a Vin de France, because the Nebouts refuse to compromise and insist on bottling a 100% Tressallier! And we stand by their decision.)

THE PRODUCER: Tressallier is the source of one of France’s oldest, rarest and most vibrant white wines, and Domaine Nebout is the artisan family behind one of the most expressive, pure Tressallier wines. Tressallier combines the delicious tension of premier cru Chablis with the chalky notes characteristic of Loire Valley Sauvignon in a wine that is bone dry, vibrantly flavored and invigorating. Almost disappearing from the wine map during the phylloxera blight in France, Tressallier today is grown on less than 90 acres of land worldwide—and all of those acres are located in Saint-Pourçain, one of France’s oldest wine regions. History tells the tale: kings demanded flasks of Tressallier for their royal tables, and anti-popes from Avignon would order long-distance for casks for their own celebrations. For three generations, the Nebout family has cultivated Tressallier with the lofty goal of returning this grape to the hallowed status it once held. Raised exclusively in tank and un-blended (most estates blend Tressallier with Chardonnay), Nebout Tressallier is hands-down the finest, most authentic example of this historic grape you can find.