Few figures loom as large in natural wine as Jean-Pierre Robinot, the former Paris wine-bar owner who returned to his Loire birthplace to make uncompromising, sulfur-free wines under the L'Ange Vin name.
Backstory
Robinot discovered wine at 22 after tasting a 1964 Cheval Blanc and fell under the influence of Jules Chauvet and Marcel Lapierre in the late 1980s. He opened L'Ange Vin, one of Paris' first wine bars devoted entirely to natural wine, and co-founded the magazine Le Rouge et le Blanc. After more than a decade in Paris, he and his wife Noella moved to his home village of Chahaignes in the early 2000s to start making wine.
The Region
The domaine lies in the northern reaches of the Loire, across the Jasnieres and Coteaux-du-Loir appellations, on soils mixing red clay, limestone, and silex.
Vineyards and Farming
The Robinots farm roughly seven hectares organically, working Chenin Blanc and the local red grape Pineau d'Aunis.
Winemaking
Fermentations take place in a labyrinth of ancient limestone caves beneath the vines, proceeding slowly over months or even years. The wines rest on their lees in old barrels for as long as they need, made without sulfur or other additions.
The Wines
Robinot makes two lines: Domaine de L'Ange Vin from his own vineyards and L'Opera des Vins from purchased fruit. His Jasnieres Chenins and Pineau d'Aunis cuvees, including L'Iris, are benchmarks of the no-sulfur Loire.
