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Jean-Pierre Robinot

L'Opéra des Vins Les Années Folles 2022

Price: $45.00
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Tasting notes

The Pineau d'Aunis fraction gives this pét-nat something you won't find in most sparkling wines: a distinct white pepper and dried floral note that cuts right through the Chenin's stone fruit and flint. The bead is fine and long-lasting, and the wine is genuinely dry — no sweetness propping it up.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Taste profile
White PepperWild StrawberryWhite PeachFlint
  • Style: Sparkling pét-nat; dry; salmon-tinged; white pepper and stone fruit; 12% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 60% Chenin Blanc, 40% Pineau d'Aunis; organic; Turonian tuffeau and flinty clay soils, Jasnières area
  • Winemaking: Méthode ancestrale; indigenous yeast fermentation; lees aging in old oak; no fining, filtration, or added sulfites; hand-disgorged
  • Serving: Serve at 45-50F; no decant needed; drink upon opening
  • Pairing: Rillettes, jambon de Paris, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, light fish, aperitif
  • Similar To: For fans of Chenin Blanc pét-nat who want peppery savory complexity over pure fruit

Les Années Folles is a pétillant naturel made by méthode ancestrale from grapes sourced in the Jasnières area of the Loir Valley. The blend is 60% Chenin Blanc and 40% Pineau d'Aunis. Although the fruit comes from vineyards within the Jasnières appellation boundaries, Robinot does not submit the wine for appellation approval — it is labeled Vin de France. The 2022 shows the characteristic salmon tint that comes from brief skin contact with the red-skinned Pineau d'Aunis.

This is the négociant label of Jean-Pierre Robinot, operating as L'Opéra des Vins. Under this line, he sources grapes from trusted growers in the Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir area who farm organically. The winemaking approach is the same as for his estate wines: spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, aging on lees in old oak barrels in tuffeau cave cellars, and bottling without fining, filtration, or added sulfites. The pét-nat finishes its fermentation in bottle, trapping residual CO2 for a fine, persistent bead.

The vineyards sit on Turonian tuffeau — a soft, porous chalk — that breaks down into flinty clay on steep south-facing slopes. This soil type gives wines from the area their signature minerality and taut acidity. Pineau d'Aunis contributes white pepper spice, red berry fruit, and dried floral notes, while Chenin Blanc brings structure, citrus, and stone fruit depth. The wine is dry, with low residual sugar and no dosage added at disgorgement.

The white pepper and high acidity make this a natural match for charcuterie — rillettes, jambon de Paris, or dry-cured sausage. It also works well alongside Loire Valley goat cheeses like Sainte-Maure de Touraine. Drink it as an aperitif or alongside light fish dishes; the low alcohol and fine bubbles won't overpower delicate flavors.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Sparkling Wine
Wine Style:, Sparkling
Grapes:, Chenin Blanc, Pineau d'Aunis
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2022
Alcohol:, 12%
Country:, France
Region:, Loire Valley
Appellation:, Vin de France
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

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Producer profile

Jean-Pierre Robinot

Jean-Pierre Robinot grew up in Chahaignes in the Sarthe, discovered wine at age 22 through a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1964, and subsequently moved to Paris. There he opened L'Ange Vin, one of the first Parisian wine bars dedicated exclusively to natural wines, and co-founded the wine publication Le Rouge et Le Blanc with critic Michel Bettane. After meeting Jules Chauvet, Marcel Lapierre, and Jacques Néauport in the late 1980s, his focus shifted decisively toward zero-intervention winemaking.

In 2001, Robinot returned to Chahaignes and began establishing vineyards. He farms approximately seven hectares across the Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir appellations with his wife Noëlla, working only two grape varieties: Chenin Blanc and Pineau d'Aunis. Viticulture is organic — no herbicides or synthetic treatments — relying instead on infusions of wild nettles, willows, and ferns. Vines are harvested by hand. Robinot has been producing wines free of added sulfites since 2008.

Robinot operates two labels. Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin covers wines made from his own estate vineyards. L'Opéra des Vins is his négociant line, sourced from trusted growers nearby who farm to the same organic standard. Fermentation takes place in ancient tuffeau cave cellars carved into the hillsides around Chahaignes. He uses only indigenous yeasts, ages wines on lees in old oak barrels, and bottles without fining or filtration. Pétillant naturel wines like Les Années Folles are disgorged by hand with no added dosage.

Wine region

Loire Valley, France

The Loir Valley sits in the far northern reach of the Loire wine zone, running through the Sarthe department roughly 20 to 30 miles north of the main Loire River. The Jasnières appellation, the most concentrated white wine zone in this area, covers only two communes — Lhomme and Ruillé-sur-Loir — and spans a single south-facing slope about four kilometers long. Soils here are Turonian tuffeau, a soft chalky limestone that breaks down into flinty clay on the steep hillsides. These soils retain heat to aid ripening in what is one of the northernmost vineyard zones in the Loire Valley, while their porosity and drainage keep vine stress in check.

Jasnières AOC permits only Chenin Blanc and produces exclusively white wine. The neighboring Coteaux du Loir appellation covers a wider area and permits red and rosé wines from Pineau d'Aunis, Cabernet Franc, and other varieties. Because Robinot's pét-nat blends Chenin Blanc with Pineau d'Aunis, it cannot carry either appellation name and is labeled Vin de France. Pineau d'Aunis — also historically called Chenin Noir in the Sarthe — is a rare red variety that survives primarily in this northern Loire corridor, prized by a small group of producers for its white pepper spice and red berry character.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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