I. et S. Bernaudeau Les Ongles 2023

Les Onglés is the entry point into Stéphane Bernaudeau's world — and as entry points go, it is a formidable one. Les Onglés comes from a 2 hectare parcel of Chenin Blanc on a southwest-facing hillside in Martigné-Briand, with vines of approximately 30 years of age on primarily schist soils — vinified in used barrels with the wine remaining on its lees for 12 months before being bottled without fining or filtration. Stéphane farms biodynamically, by horse, with vines typically untrained on no wires — an approach as close to the vine's natural state as modern viticulture allows. At around 11 to 12% alcohol, it achieves what very few wines manage: power and intensity without weight — a phenomenon that was ascribed to Les Amoureuses by Frédéric Mugnier, and that here comes from the schist, the farming, and Bernaudeau's absolute refusal to impose himself on the wine.

Aromas of lemon oil and spices lead to an almost shocking amount of salinity and precision on the palate, surrounding a core of stone fruit — the minerality really quite astounding, as is the length. A beautiful, textural and vivacious wine — waxy, lanolin, lemon peel and flowers, young and tight with a salty mineral nose and aromas of citrus and green apple, very expressive on the palate with great saline mineral core, quince and pear — a modern interpretation of Chenin with high precision and purity of fruit.