Pinot Gris is not the variety that first springs to mind when thinking about the Loire valley. One expects it to be hundreds of miles and five hours drive to the east, in Alsace. Although his family had owned vines in Reuilly for around eighty years, it was poultry that was their main business, supplemented by forests and Denis Jamain left to spend a number of years in the US, studying and working. When his father died he returned to run the poultry processing plant and let te wine enterprise bumble along. At some point however, he must have read the old wine trade saw that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine trade is to start with a large one. He sold the poultry plant and invested heavily in the wine business. He’s been converting the domaine gradually to organic and biodynamic cultivation and across the board the wines have cut and energy. The Pinot Gris comprises almost 3 hectares and is super, with true varietal flavours and delicious acidity. (CW 10/09/18)