Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Château de Fesles – La Chapelle Vieilles Vignes Chenin Sec 2010. Anjou, Loire Valley – France 🇫🇷

Overview
A limited-edition bottling from one of Anjou’s most historic estates, this Chenin Blanc comes from old vines (“vieilles vignes”) rooted in schist soils surrounding the chapel of the domaine. Château de Fesles is renowned for producing some of the Loire’s most age-worthy Chenins, and this 2010 shows just how gracefully the grape can evolve.

Aromas & Flavors
Complex layers of baked quince, dried apricot, acacia honey, chamomile, and lanolin, underpinned by beeswax and a mineral flintiness. Secondary notes of almond and brioche hint at its decade-plus of bottle age.

Mouthfeel
Dry (“sec”) yet textured, with a medium+ body, bright acidity still intact, and a long, savory finish. The balance between freshness and maturity is remarkable, showing both vitality and evolution.

Winemaking Notes
Fermented in oak and matured patiently, with low yields from old vines contributing depth and concentration. Loire Chenin’s natural high acidity is what makes wines like this so age-defiant.

Food Pairing
Perfect alongside roasted chicken with herbs, veal in cream sauce, or rich seafood like lobster and scallops. A natural match also for aged goat cheese (think Valençay or Crottin de Chavignol).

Verdict
A stunning example of aged Loire Chenin Blanc: vibrant, layered, and endlessly complex. Proof of why Anjou and Loire whites belong among the world’s most cellar-worthy wines. — 2 months ago

Ana Bumgardner

8.9

2023 vintage at Narcoossees’s with bucatini pasta and scallops. Really nice buttery wine. — 7 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Showing lots of dark fruits, smoke, meat, savory spice, mineral & violets. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

8.9

2022 vintage. Medium-medium heavy body. Solid/decent but twere this the first white Rhône I’d ever had, could take it or leave it. Not a big impression. Woulda preferred a Coke Slurpee. 07.11.25 — 4 months ago

Chris Albin

Winemaker, Azari Vineyards Winemaker, Corskcrew Wines

9.0

Solid, great texture, toasty, touch of lemon. — 5 months ago

Jason Bowman

9.2

Good, no complaints — 9 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2018 | what a difference a day makes… the weather… the food… the company… perhaps this is my last bottle, thought I needed to drink up… but today paired with a mussel potato salad this wine is vibrant… smell of lychees, citrus and some vanilla. Tastes well, juicy. So happy… my wife and I drank the bottle -except a glass that went with the mussels - all at once. — 2 months ago

Kelley Raymond

8.9

It was fine - decently crowd pleasing — 5 months ago

Ally Wolf

10

Love language — 7 months ago

Christian Fischer

9.1

Nice floral acidity. Very pleasant to drink right now — 10 months ago

with Jonathan