Large Soif translates in English to 'great thirst' is a blend of tank fermented and aged Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay grown on the schist terroir of Anjou Noir. The spirit of this cuvée is to make an excellent thirst-quenching wine, and it very much is! Large Soif is an expression much used by the legendary Chef Paul Bocuse, to whom this wine pays homage. Freshness, lightness, brightness and juiciness are the hallmarks of a truly thirst-quenching wine!

Some of their parcel-based white cuvées, already on allocation, are sold out even before bottling, even the best tasters struggle to distinguish from Richard Leroy's iconic and highly speculative cuvées in blind tastings. And the duo confess that ‘in no way do we want to produce the same wines as Richard’. But this grand chenin has a remarkable aromatic complexity, marked by a slight autolysis and smoky notes typical of Richard Leroy's wines, which extend to floral notes, honeysuckle and white-fleshed fruit, with a strong mineral undertone. It also affirms their identity, that of a top-class estate.

One drawback, though? It would seem that, like Richard Leroy's wines, their cuvées are gradually going down the road of speculation... But their ambition lies elsewhere: to pass on their passion, tenacity and pugnacity to new generations of winegrowers, so that these exceptional Anjou terroirs, which today produce some of the finest wines in the Loire region, can grow even further.
La Revue du Vin de France, March 2025 (Goulvern Le Polles)

• Tweet