Lorio

Loriot 2022

Region: France, Languedoc

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc

Color: White

A ripe Sauvignon Blanc overflowing with the deliciousness of fully ripened fruit.

With a green-yellow appearance, aromas of pear, sudachi, and apple mint, abundant minerality, and the fragrant, sweet-and-sour notes reminiscent of yuzu jam. This spring wine is dry and refreshing, yet it stands out from typical, one-dimensional Sauvignon Blancs with its remarkable presence.

The cuvée name Loriot refers to a type of warbler, a wonderful singer but a modest bird.
Sauvignon Blanc grapes from 40-year-old vines are harvested in September, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in fiberglass tanks, and aged in wooden barrels and fiberglass tanks.

【Producer Information】

Jeremie Choquet, a new Loire winery established in 2018, is a promising young producer in the Loire, making exceptionally clean wines. His partner, Blandine Floch, has launched a new winery. Jeremie and Blandine met in 2015 while working for Thierry Puzelat and Les Vins Contes. They started making wine together in 2018 and also had a child. Unfortunately, they later decided to go their separate ways.

In 2020, due to legal rights, two companies produced wine at the same winery. Thus, her wines became Domaine du Chat Huant with a different label from Jeremie's. Then, in 2021, she finally found a winery, changed her company from a Domaine to a négociant, and became Le Chat Huant.

Blandine was born in the Loire on September 17, 1986. She thoroughly studied enology at Bac Pro Viti-Oeno in Amboise. She learned winemaking at Les Vins Contes in 2011 and 2012, then pursued modern winemaking, and finally chose natural wine.

In the 2021 vintage, the Loire, especially Cheverny north of our Touraine, suffered devastating damage. Olivier, Blandine, and other producers lost about 90% of their grapes. So, everyone in the Loire bought organic grapes from their friends in the South of France and made wine. They all went to the South of France, harvested, rented trucks to transport the grapes to the Loire, and then made the wine. In such years, everyone helps each other. Blandine's first year as an independent producer turned out to be such a challenging one. But they say start a business during a recession! Those who become independent in such years are strong.

From the 2023 vintage, Blandine moved her winery from the Loire to Languedoc.
Prior to that move, she and Jeremie also separated as private partners. Since then, she continues to make wine as a négociant in Languedoc, using grapes from the Loire and the South of France.