Famille Joly makes Chenin Blanc in Savennières, including the seven hectare Coulée de Serrant controlled appellation.
The producer
Famille Joly works Chenin Blanc in the Savennières context, with Coulée de Serrant as a controlled appellation exclusively owned by the Joly family. The vineyard's steep slopes above the Loire are worked partly by hand and partly by horse. The entire estate has been farmed biodynamically since 1984. The wines ferment with natural yeasts and are bottled without fining or filtration. Coulée de Serrant, Clos de la Bergerie and Les Vieux Clos make up the range.
Known for
Biodynamic Chenin Blanc and Coulée de Serrant
Notable facts
Coulée de Serrant is a seven hectare controlled appellation exclusively owned by the Joly family.
Cistercian monks planted Coulée de Serrant in 1130, and the vineyard has remained under vine ever since.
The entire estate has been farmed biodynamically since 1984.
All three cuvées are made from Chenin Blanc.
The story
Nicolas Joly Returns
In 1977, Nicolas Joly left investment banking and returned to his family's vineyards. The move took him from finance back to the family land, where he later worked alongside his children. The estate's three cuvées are all made from Chenin Blanc, and fermentation relies on yeasts naturally present on the grapes and in the cellar air. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration. Nicolas Joly's children participate in the estate, and the family produces Coulée de Serrant, Clos de la Bergerie and Les Vieux Clos.
From the atlas
Famille Joly
Famille Joly makes Chenin Blanc in the Savennières context, centred on the Coulée de Serrant controlled appellation and biodynamic farming.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Place
Savennières context, above the Loire
Appellation
Coulée de Serrant, a controlled appellation
Main grape
Chenin Blanc
Vineyard
Seven hectares, exclusively owned by the Joly family
Vine age
35 to 80 years old
Farming
Biodynamic since 1984
History
Planted in 1130 by Cistercian monks and continuously under vine
Range
Coulée de Serrant, Clos de la Bergerie and Les Vieux Clos
The Producer
Famille Joly works Chenin Blanc across a small family range. Nicolas Joly's children participate in the estate, while the grapes are harvested by hand.
Fermentation relies on yeasts naturally present on the grapes and in the cellar air, without a cultured inoculation. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration. Fining removes suspended material and filtration clarifies wine, so both cellar steps are omitted here.
Place
Coulée de Serrant sits within the Savennières context and has its own controlled appellation. An appellation is a defined wine designation, so the vineyard name functions as the appellation on the bottle.
The steep slopes overlook the Loire. Their incline calls for work partly by hand and partly by horse.
Wines
Famille Joly produces Coulée de Serrant, Clos de la Bergerie and Les Vieux Clos, all made from Chenin Blanc. Coulée de Serrant appears as a 2022 and 2023 white wine, while Clos de la Bergerie and Les Vieux Clos are represented by 2022 bottles.
The range also includes Coulée de Serrant Moelleux 2022, a sweet style within the Chenin Blanc lineup. The wines receive six to eight months of oak barrel ageing.
In The Glass
Clos de la Bergerie 2022 opens with ripe green and golden orchard aromas, moving toward peach, stone fruit and dried white blossom. Open the bottle the day before drinking and decant it.
Coulée de Serrant Moelleux 2022 begins with wet stone minerality, followed by candied orange and pear, buttered brioche, honey and smoke. Quince, dried fruit and a slight oxidative note follow on an ample, deep, caressing palate. The finish stays fresh, with mineral tones and fine bitters alongside 32 g/L residual sugar.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Coulée de Serrant Moelleux 2022. It is the sweet Chenin Blanc bottle in the range, made from semi late harvested fruit with about 10% noble rot. Noble rot is a fungus that concentrates grapes as they lose water. This bottling sits closer to a tender dry wine than a conventional moelleux, placing a distinctive harvest style inside the Coulée de Serrant range.
Final Word
Famille Joly keeps Chenin Blanc at the centre of three named wines, including the Coulée de Serrant controlled appellation and a sweet 2022 Moelleux bottling. Hand harvesting, natural yeast fermentation and biodynamic farming define the work behind the bottles.