Aromas of tangerine, quince, white peach, chamomile, honeysuckle, and chalky iron lead the nose. The palate is sumptuously concentrated, with laser-like acidity, real grip, and a long, saline finish.

Richard Leroy is a small-production grower in Rablay-sur-Layon who, alongside Mark Angeli, is regarded as a founding figure of modern dry Anjou Chenin. He has farmed biodynamically under Ecocert certification for more than twenty-five years, and after long disputes with the INAO over establishing a cru hierarchy for Anjou, he now declassifies his wines to Vin de France.

Les Noëls de Montbenault is a roughly two-hectare hilltop parcel of a 2.7-hectare domaine, planted in the 1960s on sandy decomposed schist over schist bedrock with volcanic rhyolite and spilite, on the eroded base of an ancient volcano. The windy site limits disease pressure, and yields run very low. Fruit is hand-harvested with botrytised berries sorted out, fermented dry with natural yeasts, and aged around eighteen months in barrel with no bâtonnage and no cellar sulfur.

Pairs well with roast chicken, grilled fish, veal, mushroom dishes, aged goat cheese, and rich shellfish.

Serve chilled but not overly cold. Decant for full expression. Drink now or cellar long term.