This is a really interesting wine from Anne Claude Leflaive. Made from 100% Grolleau, which is largely considered a bulk wine in France's Loire Valley, but in the right hands, it's a different story. One for the natural wine lovers; this wine displays notes of blood orange, dark cherry and Haribo cola bottle with plenty of funk, and a lovely meaty, ferrous accent from top to bottom.

Clau de Nell is a wildly pioneering Loire Valley estate, reinvigorated by Burgundy legend Anne-Claude Leflaive, her husband Christian Jacques and the famous soil microbiologists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon. The idea was to help French biodynamic winegrowers to export their wines abroad, by growing their renown and showing the potential of even overlooked grape varieties and regions. After a couple of tough vintages, the former owners (a young couple) sold the estate to the all star team of Leflaive & Bourguignon. There were vines yards of impeccable breeding - an average age of 60 years, with some over a hundred years of age. Eight hectares of Cabernet Franc, Grolleau but also Cabernet Sauvignon. They planted some Chenin Blanc and Grolleau as well. Since those first years, the estate has continued to produce a range of stunning wines, befitting of the star-studded vinous history of their owners. Certainly a great exploration of some of the Loire Valley's best grapes!