# Frontières Floues (2022)

- **Producer:** Clément Poirel
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chenin Blanc
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €31
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** orange, lemon, apricot, herbaceous, fennel, ginger, toast, resinous, dried apricot, marmalade, honey, hazelnut

## About this wine

Clément Poirel, a former professional chef in Paris and New York, established his micro-domain in Beaulieu-sur-Layon in 2020 after acquiring two hectares of organically farmed vineyards from natural winemaker Jean-François Chéné. Located south of Angers in the Anjou region of the Loire Valley, the estate benefits from schist soils that have been managed without synthetic chemicals since 2005. The cuvée name Frontières Floues, meaning Blurred Borders, reflects Poirel's intention to push the boundaries of traditional white winemaking through extended maceration and barrel maturation.

## Interesting facts

- Winemaker Clément Poirel worked as a professional chef in Paris and New York before embarking on his winemaking career.
- The vineyards in Beaulieu-sur-Layon have been cultivated organically and biodynamically without synthetic inputs since 2005.
- Barrels are systematically topped up during its long maturation to preserve freshness while allowing extended skin contact.

## Food pairing

The wine's rich texture, elevated acidity, and subtle phenolic structure make it exceptionally versatile, cutting through rich roasted meats and butter sauces while complementing complex, mildly spiced dishes and hard aged cheeses.

## Wine making process

Harvested entirely by hand, whole bunches of Chenin Blanc undergo three months of skin maceration before pressing. Fermentation occurs naturally with indigenous yeasts without temperature manipulation or added sulfur. The wine is aged for up to 40 months in neutral oak barrels, which are regularly topped up to avoid unwanted oxidation while developing complexity. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with zero added sulfites.