Just to be clear, I don’t take a $50 bottle of wine lightly. I certainly don’t spend that kind of money every night, but I am someone who will spend a disproportionate percentage of my income on wine—provided, of course, that the wine is worth it. Eric Morgat’s “Fidès” Savennières is worth it. Every penny.
This is not only a master class in Loire Valley Chenin Blanc but a triumph of small-scale organic and biodynamic farming. Morgat has been a fast-rising star in Savennières, having painstakingly assembled/revived a collection of prime vineyard sites totaling 6.2 hectares. Among his holdings is a parcel in the celebrated “Roche-aux-Moines” subzone, where he works Chenin magic alongside a star-studded cast that includes Nicolas Joly and Domaine aux Moines. His wines are at once powerful, richly textured (akin to the very best Grand Cru white Burgundies), and full of palpable energy. And I’d add that “Fidès” is not merely a superlative Chenin from Savennières—it’s a wine I’d confidently put on a table next to France’s very best whites, from wherever they may come. So yes, it’s worth it. If you love serious white wine (and who doesn’t?), you will undoubtedly agree. There is not much that finds its way to these shores, so get some while you can!
“Fidès” means faith or trust, and Morgat gave his wine this name as an homage to the monastic winemaking tradition that once defined Savennières. It might also describe his own heroic efforts to assemble his small domaine, which he did mostly by purchasing and then restoring, by hand, parcels that had been either neglected or abandoned. He is a devoted Chenin Blanc specialist—all his six hectares are planted to the variety—and his vineyards have been Certified Organic since 2007 (Biodynamic since 2012). In addition to his half-hectare vineyard in “Roche aux Moines,” Morgat uses fruit from three other distinct sites, all of them mostly on schist soil, to construct Fidès: “Le Clos Ferrard” (where he has an experimental Chenin Blanc nursery planted); “La Pierre Bécherelle” (a vineyard that had been fallow for decades before Morgat revived it); and his two-hectare “L’Enclos” vineyard, from which he also bottles a single-vineyard wine.
Savennières is a small appellation, with less than 200 hectares under vine and about 30 commercial wine producers. Morgat, who grew up in a winemaking family across the Loire in the Côteaux du Layon region, first started making Savennières in 1995; his wines display the richness characteristic of the appellation, and are fermented and aged in (mostly used) oak, yet they maintain superb freshness. Whereas many wines from this appellation have a pronounced bruised fruit/oxidative quality, the 2014 Fidès, even with some bottle age behind it, is vibrant and bright, with a healthy yellow-gold hue.
Tasting notes for today’s 2014 are as much about texture as aroma/flavor: It has the fruit concentration of a serious Burgundy (think the texture of top Meursault) but a laser-beam of acidity to lift it up. Like Riesling, Chenin Blanc has the seemingly magical ability to be weighty and weightless at the same time. Aromas of pear, apple, quince, white flowers, wild herbs, honeycomb, fresh cream, wet stones and accents of vanilla and light baking spices are all confirmed on the full-bodied palate. It coats the palate, then makes your mouth water, then lingers for a while in your memory before calling you back for another sip. There’s still a lot of life in this bottle should you decide to age it another 5-10 years, but it is sumptuous and sensational now: Decant it 15 minutes before serving in larger-sized white stems or an all-purpose red at 45-50 degrees, and pair it with white-sauced fish, pork, or veal to complement its voluptuous texture and bold flavors. The maker himself suggests
blanquette de veau, so let’s go with that—I for one cannot wait to try it. Cheers!
