The story of 2019 Domaine de la Charmoise, Provignage begins with resilience. By now, any deep dive into wine history inevitably encounters phylloxera, the tiny pest that swept through Europe’s vineyards in the 19th century, devastating centuries-old vines. Vignerons fought back with every tool at their disposal: grafting to American rootstock, using mild poisons, and even burying live toads under vines in desperate acts of vineyard folklore. Most vineyards succumbed, but somehow, against the odds, these romorantin vines in the Loire Valley survived on their own roots.

Romorantin, a rare sibling of chardonnay and aligoté, was brought to the Loire by King Francis I in the early 1500s. Today, it thrives almost exclusively in the Cour-Cheverny AOC, where it produces wines of richness, freshness, and undeniable personality. Domaine de la Charmoise, owned by the Marionnet family since the 1850s, has been the custodian of these precious pre-phylloxera vines, tending them with the utmost care to produce Provignage, a wine that is as much history as it is art.

With every sip of Provignage, you taste something extraordinary: the vibrancy of pear, white peach, and Meyer lemon, the nutty depth of hazelnut, the earthy clarity of freshly rained-upon stones, and the exotic charm of dried papaya. It bursts with flavor yet carries itself with quiet elegance—a balance only centuries-old vines can deliver.

This is romorantin at its pinnacle, a profound introduction to a grape that has been shaped by time and tenacity.

Given its historic significance, having Provignage as your first taste of romorantin is a little like taking your first film class from François Truffaut. Memorable, masterful.