# La Roue Qui Tourne Blanc Sparkling (2022)

- **Producer:** Domaine Marie Thibault
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Chenin Blanc
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.5%
- **Average price:** €33
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, pear, lemon, blossom, pastry, almond

## About this wine

Marie Thibault is an independent, non-hereditary winemaker who established her estate in Azay-le-Rideau in 2011 after working at Domaine François Chidaine in Montlouis-sur-Loire. Managing micro-plots planted with 50-year-old Chenin Blanc vines on flinty silex soils, she crafts artisanal Loire Valley wines certified organic and managed under biodynamic principles. Her estate stands out in the region for its micro-scale, dedicated production of expressive Touraine terroir wines.

## Interesting facts

- Unlike most Pét-Nats, this wine is disgorged after lees aging, giving it Champagne-like visual clarity.
- Sourced from old Chenin Blanc vines averaging 50 years of age grown on flinty silex soils.
- Marie Thibault holds degrees in biology and oenology and trained at the famed François Chidaine estate.
- The entire estate produces only around 10,000 bottles annually across all cuvées.

## Food pairing

The vibrant acidity and fine mineral crispness of this dry sparkling Chenin Blanc effortlessly cut through rich, fried seafood and creamy goat cheeses, while perfectly enhancing the natural salinity of fresh oysters and delicate shellfish.

## Wine making process

Crafted via the Méthode Ancestrale (Pétillant Naturel), spontaneous fermentation occurs using indigenous yeasts in 600-liter wooden demi-muids and cement vats. The fermenting juice is bottled before fermentation finishes, allowing bubbles to form naturally inside the bottle without added sugar or commercial yeast. Unlike many pét-nats, this wine is disgorged after 1 to 2 years aging on the lees to ensure visual clarity, with zero added sulfur during vinification.