60km north of Nantes in the village of La Chappelle-Glain, Xaviere Hardy makes nuanced, delicate wines from an isolated 1.5 hectares on blue schist, (hence Les Terres Bleues).
After close analysis of the terroir, and lobbying the local council to allow her to do so: Xaviere planted her vines in 2013. Being the only vineyard for miles around and with no precedent to follow, she focused her efforts on Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Grolleau, trained in the seldom-seen (in the Loire) Albarello style to help with sun exposure.
Working in such a unique way isn't the easiest path, but the wines are clearly worth it.
2022 marked a fairly triumphant year for Xaviere, with three long nights battling the threat of frost in early Spring, the vines remained well-protected. Come summer, with strong heat waves in the region, she dilligently sprayed her plants with chamomile and yarrow to help them cope with the drought. Benefitting hugely from the vines being trained on stakes, the height of the canopy created great shade, with the fruit seeing no sign of dehydration.
Good rain two weeks before harvest led to perfect ripening before a beautiful harvest in terms of both quantity and quality. Given the struggles Xaviere has faced in recent years, working incredibly hard to make the best of a tricky situation, its a true joy to see her finishing a vintage very happy with the resulting fruit.
The wines are a beautiful reflection of a good year, and are available now:
AVAILABLE NOW
WHITE
2022 - AWA - Pinot Gris
A beautiful vintage for the Pinot Gris, managing to be both concentrated yet fresh and energetic. Incredibly long, textured. A triumph.
ROSE
2022 - Baraka - Grolleau
The 2022 Baraka has the profile of a Blanc de Noirs with just a little colour, waxy, generous and long. Pithy citrus with a very fine line of tannin, beautiful texture and finish.
RED
2022 - Ma Garance Voyageuse - Grolleau
Assembled this year from three different vinifications of her Grolleau parcels, one de-stemmed and macerated before ageing in barrique, one as a 70:30 blend of de-stemmed and whole-bunch, and another as a proper carbonic maceration- both aged in tank. Blended together after 9 months and bottled with no additions.
2022 - XH² - Pinot Noir
Incredibly fine, beautifully pure and expressive. Deep, pure fruited with a brilliant fine line of tannin. A brief, 7 day fermentation (Xaviere's Pinot is often a very fast fermentation)
