Chateau d'Epire Savennieres Cuvee Speciale

For years Kermit Lynch imported the only remaining chestnut-aged Savennieres. Chestnut is a neutral wood that totally respects the particular natural aromas and flavors of schist-grown Chenin Blanc in this part of the Loire Valley. It was the traditional aging vessel locally until oak came along, at which point history was roundly dismissed. KLWM, in partnership with Épiré’s owners, the Bizard family, decided to preserve this history. A few years ago we slowly began to replace the oldest barrels with acacia, the next-best thing, as all the local barrel-makers had disappeared and we found no other source—until just recently. Their first new chestnut barrel makes its debut this year. Vintage 2016 was relatively late at epire (and cool), and the resulting wine is classic Savennières: pure, racy, and grainy, the impact of epire’s unique magmatic soil palpable.