2024 Mary Taylor (Pascal Biotteau) - Anjou Blanc (750ml)

Mary Taylor built her négociant label around a simple idea: put the place and the grower's name on the label instead of the grape, a return to how Europeans have always thought about wine. In the Loire Valley her project partners with Pascal Biotteau, whose family has farmed in Saint-Jean-de-Mauvrets, in the Coteaux de l'Aubance within Anjou-Villages, for four generations. The property dates back to at least 1576, when it was sold to a local cardinal who left behind an old Latin inscription translating to "Here by conscience and wisdom all things are conducted," a fitting motto for the meticulous, low-intervention work Pascal and his son, Charles-Eusèbe, still carry out across their two hundred hectares, now HVE level 3 certified for sustainable farming.

The vineyards sit precisely on the geological seam between Anjou's two soil types, the pale limestone of Anjou Blanc to the west and the darker volcanic schist of Anjou Noir to the east, giving this wine a foot in both camps. Made entirely from Chenin Blanc, from vines averaging around twenty-five years old, the wine ferments and ages in stainless steel with minimal handling, letting the interplay of the two soils come through undisguised.

The wine shows fresh lemon blossom, honey, and ripe apricot over notes of chalk and slate. The palate carries juicy white peach and lime, with bright acidity and a flinty mineral texture that balances freshness with richness. It pairs well with goat cheese salads, fish in cream sauce, or roasted pork or chicken.