La Coulée De Serrant Nicolas Joly Coulée De Serrant, 2023

La Coulée de Serrant 2023 from Nicolas Joly is one of the Loire Valley’s most iconic white wines, crafted from Chenin Blanc grown on a historic, seven-hectare monopole vineyard. Revered by sommeliers and collectors alike, it is a deeply characterful, ageworthy wine that showcases the full expressive power of biodynamic viticulture. First planted in the 12th century by Cistercian monks, the Coulée de Serrant vineyard has long been recognized as a singular terroir, now classified as its own appellation within Savennières.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, La Coulée de Serrant 2023 typically shows a luminous golden straw hue that will deepen with a few years in bottle. On the nose, it is layered and complex, with notes of ripe orchard fruits (quince, pear, baked apple), citrus zest, acacia blossom, and a distinctive mineral streak reminiscent of wet stone and chalk. Subtle hints of beeswax, lanolin, honeycomb and gentle spice often emerge as it opens, especially with aeration. The palate is concentrated yet vibrant, combining Chenin Blanc’s natural acidity with impressive texture and depth. Expect a dry, structured wine with flavors of ripe yellow fruit, preserved lemon, chamomile, and a saline, almost savory minerality that lingers on the finish. The 2023 vintage, like most young Coulée de Serrant, can show a firm, tightly wound profile in its youth, with great tension and grip. With proper cellaring, it gains additional complexity, developing notes of dried fruits, nuts, and subtle oxidative nuances over 10–20 years or more. This is a wine built for longevity, rewarding patience as its layers slowly unfold.

Production
The Coulée de Serrant vineyard lies on steep, schist-based slopes overlooking the Loire, near Savennières, in western France. The soils are predominantly schist with quartz and sandstone, providing excellent drainage and imparting a marked mineral character to the wine. Nicolas Joly is a pioneer of biodynamics, and the vineyard is farmed according to strict biodynamic principles: low yields, no synthetic chemicals, and meticulous attention to the rhythms of nature. Harvest is done entirely by hand, often in multiple passes to pick only perfectly ripe, healthy Chenin Blanc grapes, sometimes with a touch of noble rot depending on the year. In the cellar, Joly favors a non-interventionist approach: native yeasts, long fermentations, and minimal manipulation. Fermentation and aging typically take place in older oak barrels and large neutral vessels, with minimal racking and very limited sulfur use, allowing the terroir to speak clearly in the finished wine.

Food & Serving
La Coulée de Serrant 2023 is a superb partner for refined cuisine. It pairs beautifully with dishes such as roasted poultry, guinea fowl, veal in cream sauce, lobster or langoustines, scallops, rich white fish, and earthy preparations featuring mushrooms or truffles. Mature cheeses—particularly aged goat’s cheese, Comté, or hard Alpine styles—also work very well. Serve at around 10–12°C (50–54°F) for maximum expression; too cold and the wine’s complexity can be muted. Young bottles benefit greatly from a generous decant of at least 1–2 hours, which helps the wine relax and reveal its full aromatic spectrum. Older vintages should be handled more delicately, with a shorter decant just before serving.

Producer
Nicolas Joly is one of the most influential figures in the world of biodynamic winegrowing and has become almost synonymous with the Coulée de Serrant vineyard itself. The estate, located in Savennières in the Loire Valley, traces its roots back to the 12th century when Cistercian monks first planted vines on these steep slopes. Today, Coulée de Serrant is recognized as its own appellation (AOC Coulée de Serrant), reflecting the uniqueness of this single vineyard. Since taking over the family property in the late 1970s, Joly has championed biodynamics, eliminating synthetic inputs and promoting a philosophy of minimal intervention to express terroir as purely as possible. His wines are now benchmarks for serious Chenin Blanc and have played a major role in elevating the reputation of Savennières and the Loire on the global fine-wine stage.