Clau de Nell Anjou Cuvee Violette 2018

This is a wine to put on your radar. A fantastic biodynamic producer, making thoughtful, perfumed, elegant, and intense red blends from cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. 96 POINTS from Wine Advocate, and we’ve got the best price in the country (by ways!). Don’t miss this!

Domaine Clau de Nell is located in the Loire Valley wine region of Anjou, just northwest of Saumur, in the village of Ambillou-Château. The vineyards for this wine are old vines, grown in silty-clay sandstone (cabernet franc) and chipped red flint on limestone (cabernet sauvignon) on a southerly exposed hillside.

The vineyards had been biodynamically cultivated since 2000, but due to financial difficulties of the previous owner, no harvest occurred in 2006 – 2008 as the property was eventually abandoned. In 2008, Anne-Claude Leflaive and Christian Jacques purchased the property – just a couple of years after they had started a venture aimed at helping new biodynamic farmers take advantage of their existing commercial network. The ironic circumstances were not lost on the Leflaive-Jacques family, leading them to state, “We have not chosen Clau de Nell, so much as Clau de Nell has chosen us!”

In a short period of time, they have turned this property into a benchmark producer for the lesser-known region, crafting remarkable wines that deliver superior quality and unbelievable values. This “Cuvée Violette” is a beautifully layered, elegant yet intense wine, with dark, rich berry notes, high-toned floral aromas, saddle leather, savory earth, and spectacular poise and tension sure to develop over the next decade. Mostly cabernet franc (~80%) then cabernet sauvignon, and simply amazing to sip, swirl, and savor – revealing everything from black tea, to mandarin orange, with velvety touches of creme de cassis, and succulent black plum. Whispers of new oak help to frame the wine, but it is the pure, bright fruit that carries the day.