Domaine Laureau l’Alliance 2022
Chenin Blanc from the Loire may not be as mainstream as Sauvignon Blanc, but it certainly has a devoted following — and I count myself among its fans. When well made, Chenin Blanc can be utterly captivating, offering a rare aromatic profile of honey, quince, and beeswax. The catch? It often comes with a rather high price tag, making it less accessible for casual drinkers. In other words, it’s hard to find a bottle that delivers the grape’s unique charm at an everyday price. Domaine Laureau’s L’Alliance might just be the answer to that problem.
The domaine was founded in 2006 in a small village in Savennieres by Florence and Damien Leduc-Frouin, both of whom are not only winegrowers but also arborists. For nearly 20 years, they have been producing white wines based on Chenin Blanc from 6 hectares of vineyards located in the Savennieres AOP and the Savennieres Roche-aux-Moines AOP. As growers first, they place great emphasis on vineyard management. Their vineyards received organic certification in 2012, and since then, the domaine has focused on regenerative agriculture and continues to study soil microbiology.
L’Alliance, their entry-level cuvée, is a blend of juice from young vines grown across all of their vineyard parcels — essentially a micro-terroir mosaic in a bottle. No oak is used in the winemaking or aging process; instead, the wine is aged on the lees for 10 months in stainless steel tanks. This extended aging explains why the 2022 vintage wasn’t bottled until July 2023.
What impressed me most about this wine is how well it expresses the essence of Chenin Blanc at a friendly price point. The nose bursts with aromas of mango, quince, lemon, peach, honey, wax, delicate white flowers, and herbs — all vibrant and pronounced. While the bouquet might suggest sweetness, the palate is definitively dry. It delivers a pure fruit character and a fresh yet subtly mature bouquet, resulting in a well-balanced and expressive wine. While it may not reach the depth and complexity of top-tier Savennieres, it absolutely captures the spirit and charm of the region. A true “great value” bottle that makes you think, “So this kind of QPR exists in Savennieres too?” Even Robert Parker gave it 91 points.
