White Rock 2022

Roche Blanche by Julien Pineau is a white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes in the Touraine area.

The vineyards were purchased by Julien directly from Domaine Roche Blanche; these are old vineyards over 70 years old rooted in clay and limestone soil. 24 hours of pre-fermentation maceration followed by alcoholic fermentation in steel. A short period in wood before bottling.

The Winery: Julien Pineau

Born in Tours and the son of a professional chef, Julien is a very curious and intelligent young man, who collects experiences working in the most diverse places and contexts. For a long time, he thought of himself as a "restaurateur," envisioning opening a wine bar in his future, but life and his encounters led him instead to discover the vineyard. The call, as he says, came during a harvest at Lise and Bertrand Jousset, in Montlouis, when he felt attracted to agriculture, to the composition of the soil, to the biodiversity that inhabits the vineyard. This experience was followed by others, first at Noëlla Morantin and then at Les Terres Promises in Provence. Julien's game changed in 2015 when he managed to buy half of the land for sale from Catherine Roussel, and her mythical Domaine Clos Roche Blanche, which closed its doors with the 2014 vintage. We are in Touraine, on the banks of the Cher river, and so began the adventure of Julien Pineau, wine producer, with his 6 hectares of vines planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Côt, Cabernet Franc and Pineau d'Aunis. With the help of his wife, an agronomist, Julien set up his vineyards, working them with horses, continuing the tradition and work of Clos Roche Blanche. Fruit trees are continuously planted within his hectares of vines, which alternately serve as pasture for animals. The winemaking style is varied. Julien's most important cuvées always achieve good ripeness, resulting in richness on the palate, for both whites and reds, and it often happens that the wines age for several months, even 24, before being released to the market. The simpler wines, especially in recent years, are always lightly extracted and focused on immediacy, freshness, and drinkability. The winery, today, presents an unusual range of wines, having suffered in the 2021 vintage, like many others, from problems of frost, powdery mildew, and hail, losing about 90% of the harvest. His friendship and contacts with other French farmers and producers helped him stay afloat.