Les Noëls de Montbenault Chenin - Richard Leroy 2020

The estate

Originally from the Vosges, settled in the Paris region, graduated in economics, Richard Leroy founded his estate with his wife Sophie in 1996, buying 2 hectares from a couple of winemakers, Mr. and Mrs. Chêné. Passionate about wine, he decided to change his life and settled in Anjou, in the Layon valley, in Rablay-sur-Layon. His first plot is located in the place called Les Noëls de Montbenault. It was complemented a few years later by a second plot, the Clos des Rouliers.

Richard Leroy currently cultivates 2.7 hectares of Chenin and exclusively produces dry whites. From the beginning, Richard Leroy chose organic farming and biodynamics, convinced that these practices are the most capable of conveying the nuances of his terroirs. This demanding winemaker aspires to "work the vine as simply as possible, because wine is nothing other than fermented grapes."

The estate has been certified organic since 2002 and produces very few bottles, rare and baroque cuvées, of great resonance, which can sometimes confuse newcomers.