Six wines to make you fall in love with the Loire Valley's rarest grape – Pineau d'Aunis
What's the grape variety that takes you back to the first time you fell in love with wine? For Sara Keene, it's the rare Loire grape Pineau d'Aunis. She charts the renaissance of this underrated grape.
The first time I tried Gamay, I was 22 and on the cusp of some awakening that would eventually lead me to a career in wine.
Up until that point, my experience drinking wine – and especially red wine – was probably a familiar one to many: full-bodied expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon opened regardless of the season.
Dinners paired, however inappropriately, with bottles from Rioja and Bordeaux and the occasional Chianti, inspired by a trip I took with my family to Tuscany when I was a kid.
So to experience a wine that was delicate and bursting with fruit, whose tannins and acidity worked in perfect harmony, was to open an entire world I didn’t know existed.
Wine professionals and enthusiasts alike often talk about their ‘gateway bottles’ – the first wine they ever enjoyed which revealed with stark clarity the possibilities of what wine could be.
A Beaujolais 2020 from Domaine de la Prébende was my first experience drinking a lighter-bodied, bright and juicy red, and it set me down a path of looking for wines that ignited this same sense of wonder.
The juicy holy grail
Nothing has delivered quite like the elusive, though increasingly popular, Pineau d’Aunis, whose exciting renaissance has not only deepened my enjoyment of wine, but kindled a sense of curiosity for its craft and history.
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Pineau d’Aunis, a red grape thought to be native to the Loire, was once very popular across this region, especially during the 13th century when it was purportedly a favourite of England’s King Henry III, who had the wines shipped across the Channel.
But like most European grape varieties, Pineau d’Aunis was heavily impacted by the phylloxera outbreak that swept through France and across Europe in the late 19th century.
Finicky and susceptible to some diseases, it was gradually replaced by the more celebrated (and easier to handle) Cabernet Franc.
Though never entirely lost, Pineau d’Aunis plantings dwindled significantly over the 20th century, reaching their lowest point in the 1970s before the start of its recent revival.
Pineau ascendent
Leading this renaissance were producers like Jean-Pierre Robinot (Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin), Thierry Puzelat (Clos du Tue-Boeuf) and Eric Nicolas (Domaine de Bellivière).
Nicolas has worked with massal cuttings from 100-year-old vines to repopulate Pineau d’Aunis across his vineyard, which he uses in one of the domaine’s signature cuvées, Hommage à Louis Derré, a personal favourite of mine.
Louis Dressner, one of the largest importers of natural wine in the US, has been working with these producers, and more, over the last 20 years, playing an influential role in the rise of Pineau d’Aunis in bars and on shelves across the country. (That being said, it’s one of few grapes on their website which doesn’t have its own designated sorting feature).
Jules Dressner, of the company’s second generation, credits this with the increasing demand for Loire wines generally.
‘There used to be a time when this was an underdog grape in an underdog region,’ he says, ‘but the Loire has legitimised itself as a very important place in France, and so you have more people paying more attention to the region generally and therefore the indigenous varieties it gives us.’
The problem with Pineau d’Aunis, he argues, is that it’s often overlooked and even somewhat polarising. ‘It's much more than a light-drinking red grape.
It's rustic, but charming and complex. The kind of grape that you can turn your brain either on or off too, that can really make you think – if you let it,’ he says.
A moveable feast
And it’s true, each bottle of Pineau d’Aunis I’ve tried has given me something new to chew on: bright and juicy expressions of red fruits like strawberries, raspberries and sour cherries, grounded in an earthy savouriness with notes of white pepper and brine, that balance out its brighter elements.
As the seasons change, I find myself once again turning to wines that are not only fresh and light, but that mark some greater awakening which spring always seems to set in motion.
The following wines capture just that.
Six wines to make you fall in love with Pineau d'Aunis:
Domaine de Bellivière, Hommage à Louis Derré, Coteaux du Loir
One of the domaine’s most elusive cuvées made from its signature variety, this comes from 1ha of 90-110-year-old Pineau d'Aunis grown on heavy clay and silex soils over limestone, across eight tiny parcels.
Sour plum, blackberry and redcurrant aromas are intricately woven with undertones of warm spice like anise and peppercorn and an earthy quality of wet moss and leaves.
Perfectly structured, its tannins are notable yet refined, covering a silky palate that gives the wine fabulous length and elegance.
Clos du Tue-Boeuf, Pineau d’Aunis, Vin de France
One of the earliest bottles of Pineau d’Aunis I tried, this is the kind of wine that lingers well beyond the last sip. In the glass it’s ruby-hued and translucent when held up to the light.
Clos du Tue-Boeuf was established by Thierry Puzelat, who has worked with Pineau d’Aunis for a long time.
This cuvée, however, was first released in 2015 with fruit sourced in small quantities from his neighbouring grower, Valérie Forgues, who organically tends and hand harvests 100-year-old vines.
Aged for six months in old barrels and bottled with zero added sulphur, this wine has a lip-smacking acidity reminiscent of blood orange or cranberry juice, finishing with notes of Castelvetrano olive and a peppery bite like fresh rocket.
Jean-Pierre Robinot, Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin Le Regard, Vin de France
Quintessential Loire freshness and unmistakably Robinot, this wine is zippy, bright and expressive, with a slight effervescence.
Whole-bunch fermentation for three weeks and 15 months of maturation in barrel gives the wine delicate tannins without sacrificing its brightness or high acidity.
Vibrant notes of cranberry and pomegranate on the palate work in harmony with salty and faintly grassy aromas on the nose.
It has a metallic, iron-rich finish, a touch of white pepper and an uncompromising savouriness which begs to be thoughtfully considered.
Domaine de la Roche Bleue, La Belle d'Aunis, Vin de France
Described by winemaker Sébastien Cornille as ‘a thinker, a ponderer, a brilliant wine,’ this cuvée reaches depths Pineau d’Aunis is seldom thought to achieve.
The grapes are harvested from vines that are over 50 years old, planted in the clay-rich soils of Marçon and Chahaignes.
After two to three weeks of semi-carbonic maceration in foudres, depending on the vintage, the wine is gently pressed, then aged for 12 months in barrel.
The result preserves the delicacy and purity of the fruit – think blackcurrant liqueur and raspberry preserve – while layering in warm spice notes of coriander seed and star anise.
Surprisingly robust, it pairs beautifully with a range of dishes like lamb and spring vegetables.
La Grapperie, Adonis Pineau d'Aunis, Vin de France
La Grapperie makes wine from just two varieties: Chenin Blanc and Pineau d'Aunis.
This cuvée, made purely of the latter, uses grapes from a blend of young and old vines planted across the Coteaux du Loir – one of the region’s overlooked terroirs.
But winemaker Renaud Guettier is helping to breathe new life into the area and creating new excitement around the grape.
Here, he balances the natural character of Pineau d’Aunis with the limestone-rich slopes he farms.
The wine shows a harmony of soft earth and spicy minerality, with notes of red raspberry, wild strawberry and cracked pepper.
Striking a balance between brightness and structure, it’s a wine that speaks for itself, but is just as at home shared over a table of meats and cheeses.
Domaine le Briseau, Patapon, Vin de France
Produced within the Coteaux du Loir appellation, this cuvée has been intentionally declassified as Vin de France by the winemaker, self-prescribed as 'unconforming'.
The medium-bodied palate defies expectations for a grape often assumed to be simply light and juicy.
The nose is heavily perfumed with aromas of strawberry compote, violets and red cherries, as well as subtle hints of black pepper and damp earth.
On the palate, it’s juicy with mouthwatering acidity, soft tannins, and flavours of tart red fruit, a touch of chocolate and a mineral-driven finish.
The clown on the label serves as both a warning and an invitation: this is a mischievous wine, youthfully spirited.
But hiding behind that veil is something much bolder, more serious, and more thoughtful.
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Sara Keene is a writer, creative strategist and sommelier based in New York. Previously the digital editor at The New Wine Review, her work has appeared in VinePair, YOLO Journal and BYOB Magazine. She currently consults on a number of projects with US-based wine importers helping them to tell the stories of their producers through writing, photography and graphic design. She is also the founder of Amuse-Bouche, a weekly newsletter on Substack exploring food, wine and culture. When she’s not working at a wine bar in Williamsburg, she can usually be found traveling between Paris and Burgundy, where she previously lived. Her work primarily centres itself around the intersection of craft, community and storytelling through wine and the people who make it.