Clau De Nell’s Grolleau 2020 is a biodynamic, 100% Grolleau red from Ambillou-Château in the Anjou sector of France’s Loire Valley. The estate—now known for serious, small-parcel reds—was purchased in 2008 by Anne-Claude Leflaive and Christian Jacques, a turning point that helped preserve old vineyard holdings on local clay, flint, and tuffeau soils. This bottling is labeled IGP Val de Loire and is Demeter-certified biodynamic, positioning it firmly within the region’s natural-leaning, terroir-focused camp.

The wine is made from a Loire variety more often associated with lighter styles, but Clau De Nell aims for depth and structure. Importer information cited for the cuvée notes very old plantings (described as roughly a century old) rooted in silty clay with gritty, red-flint tuffeau, and lists the alcohol at a notably moderate 12.07%. Wine Enthusiast also highlights technique: “Fermented with native yeast,” a detail that aligns with the domaine’s low-intervention reputation.

In the glass, Wine Enthusiast’s Reggie Solomon gives an excellent review at 92 points, describing aromatics that are clearly fruit-driven yet lifted: “a nose of red currant, black cherry and violet blossom.” On the palate, the wine is presented as more substantial than the grape’s casual image might suggest: “Concentration dominates on the midpalate with velvety tannins,” before finishing with savory, mineral detail—“black cherry, chalk and dried mushroom on the finish.”

That combination of ripe cherry fruit, floral notes, and earthy-mineral complexity is a good guide to how to serve it: not as a simple chillable red, but as a food wine with ambition. Solomon underlines the point, writing, “This wine begs for dishes that match it in complexity and depth.” Serving around cellar temperature (about 16°C) should keep the fruit bright while letting the tannins and stony finish show their shape.