You've maybe heard about Clos Rougeard in the Loire Valley and their ever-so-sought after wines that collectors have been scrambling for. You may have seen their prices lately: $200, $300, $400 and up, whites included! They are the best.
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However, SO IS Thierry Germain of Domaine des Roches Neuves who studied under Charly Foucault of Clos Rougeard.
And pricing could not be better.
A quick primer on the wines: both whites & reds will age for decades. With a few hours decanting they become magical. These wines are among the very best that the Loire Valley has to offer.
Top-notch Cabernet Francs and Chenin Blancs. Organic, Bio-Dynamic, etc, etc.
And now to the wines:

2016 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur L'Insolite $42 From 90+ year old Chenin Blanc vines planted on a matrix of Silex, Clay, Red Limestone, and Sandstone. A fellow taster mentioned that this was the most 'Meursault-like Chenin' he had ever tasted. Perhaps. Regardless, this is one heck of a wine. Muscular and rich but balanced with acidity and tremendous minerality. Quince, honeysuckle, passion fruit. Very clean and vibrant. This was outstanding with the Ponzu Scallops at Blue Water Grill in Santa Barbara this past Sunday. Also great with seared scallops, roast chicken, or sushi. - Note: These wines are great from the start but do benefit from decanting 2-3 hours (or just open the bottle a few hours ahead of time).

2016 Domaine des Roches Neves Terres Chaudes $40 The first of the single-vineyard Cabernet Francs (the Terres Chaudes vineyard is planted on Clay, Tuffeau Limestone with 45+ year old vines). Lovely and pure are adjectives used often to describe Thierry's wines. Intense bouquet of dark and red berries, pepper spice, with a round and silky core. Once this opens up the aromatics are insane and the finish just shy of forever.

2016 Domaine des Roches Neuves Clos de L'Echelier $58.50 It’s rare that people compare a Cab Franc to Chambolle, but that’s how people talk about l’Echelier. L’Echelier is one of the standout expressions of Cabernet Franc. There’s a unique haunting perfume, a lifted brightness and energetic minerality to the wine. As with all his wines this is produced in tiny quantities (about 3000 bottles).

2016 Domaine des Roches Neuves La Marginale $55 Only made in great vintages and aged the longest (in old, old barrels) of all Thierry's wines. Red and dark berry fruit, star anise, imposing acidity, but balanced with great texture and fine tannins. This is one of the great Cab Francs of the Loire Valley.

2016 Domaine des Roches Neuves Franc de Pied $60 100% whole-cluster from ungrafted Cabernet Franc vines on sand and limestone soil. Franc de Pied delivers an entirely different textural dimension, length and precision than his other wines. There’s a delicacy to the 2016 Franc de Pied and a subtle floral and herb-tinged complexity that’s endlessly intriguing.

2016 Domaine des Roches Neuves Les Memoires $64 There is no 'saving the best for last' as each of these wines are uniquely special. However, here we have a wine made from 120 year old Cab Franc vines from a tiny, tiny vineyard. A few hundred cases are all that's available from vintage to vintage and only a small percentage sees its way to the states. Memoires is one of the most profound expressions of Cabernet Franc. In 2016, it soars with spice, flowers, earth and dark fruits, all effortlessly woven together. -

Call or email us with your requests and we will do our best to fulfill your orders. - If you have subscribed to our newsletter for awhile you will have noticed we have never sent out a newsletter dedicated to a single winery. This is how special the wines of Thierry Germain are. - Thanks you for your support, Renegade Wines 417 Santa Barbara Street Suite A-6 Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805-568-1961 www.renegadewines.com