Adèle Rouze
Quincy
Several years ago when I was working with the small company Loire Wines, we were the first to introduce the wines of the young Rouze to the US. I was knocked out when I first tried these and so were our customers. The only problem was supplying demand since annual production is under 700 cases. Working with several old vine parcels planted between 1910-1950 that amount to under one hectare of vines, the young Adèle is blessed with not only some special raw material but also a genuine ability to farm this land and let its fruit transform into a wine that perfectly defines Quincy at its best. The wines have wonderful concentration married with elegance and zippy, refreshing acidity.
For those unfamiliar with the Quincy region, it is just west of Sancerre in the Loire Valley. The weather is vitually identical to Sancerre. The primary difference between the two appellations is Quincy has sandier soils at the surface yet there is limestone deeper down that old vines eventually reach here. The small plots of old vines Adèle works with were a gift from her father who is a longtime grower in the region. All treatments to the land and the vines are with natural products and kept to a minimum. The same minimal interventionist mindset applies to the cellar work where ambient yeasts are permitted sole responsibilty for fermentation. The wine is left on the fine lees after primary fermentation in order to allow for good palate weight. One thing that should be mentioned here that is indicative of the dedication to quality at this domaine is that Adèle chooses to leave behind a fair percentage of juice during pressing. Given that so little tonnage results from the small old-vine holdings, many vintners would push to get every last drop of juice possible into the fermenter but that's not the case here where integrity prevails. When sauvignon blanc grapes are pressed too hard to get every last drop there is a bitter astrigency that comes along with the dregs. That bitterness is completely absent in these wonderfully pure wines that emphasize citrus fruit and fresh grass aromas along with a clean minerally palate presence.
