Richard Leroy

Anjou pioneer crafting rare, mineral-driven dry Chenin Blanc from Rablay-sur-Layon

snapshot

Region: Rablay-sur-Layon, Loire Valley, France (Anjou)
Style: Organic, biodynamic dry Chenin Blanc with intense minerality, transparency, and long ageing potential.
Vineyards: ~2.7 ha on schist and volcanic soils (Les Noëls de Montbenault & Clos des Rouliers).
Farming: Certified organic since 2002; biodynamic and meticulous hand vineyard work.
Winemaking: Native fermentations, new barrels aged for years, no sulphur added since 2011, no filtration or chaptalization — all to let terroir sing.
Signature: Dry, expressive Chenin cuvées reflecting schist and rhyolitic volcanic soils with razor-sharp tension.

 

“Work the vines as simply as possible, because wine is nothing but fermented grapes.”

RICHARD LEROY
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  • Richard Leroy - Les Rouliers 2017
    Sold out

    Richard Leroy - Les Rouliers 2017

    Richard Leroy - Les Rouliers 2017
    €360,00 EUR

HOW HE GOT HERE

Richard and his wife Sophie left Paris in 1996, buying a small parcel of vineyards — Les Noëls de Montbenault — with the dream of making noble sweet wines from Chenin Blanc.

That early journey included making botrytized wines in 1996 and 1997, but unpredictable autumn weather in 1998 meant no botrytis and no vintage — a pivotal moment.
Inspired by seeing exemplary dry whites from the region, he began focusing on dry Chenin Blanc, ultimately abandoning sweet wine production entirely after 2005 to pursue terroir clarity and everyday quality.

From early on, Leroy embraced organic and biodynamic viticulture and, after years of using minimal sulphur, eliminated added sulphur in 2011 — a bold and strict choice that entrenched his wines’ pure and crystalline character.

His life and work were immortalized in the influential graphic memoir Les Ignorants, where Leroy and cartoonist Étienne Davodeau spent a year exploring wine culture and craft; this book helped amplify his renown far beyond the Loire.

Where The Wine Is Born

The wines are rooted in Anjou Noir — the dark schist soils around Rablay-sur-Layon — where decomposed schist, volcanic rhyolite and spilite rocks underlie Chenin Blanc’s expression.

These soils yield intense minerality, saline texture, and upright acidity — reflected in both Montbenault’s rugged volcanic elements and Rouliers’ more sandy-schist character — supporting wines of depth, precision, and tension.

ANJOU

How the wine feels

Pure Soil Clarity

Schist and volcanic energy, incisive and mineral.

Elegant Complexity

Dry Chenin with layered tension and restraint.

Territorial Truth

No artifice — just core fruit and site identity.
Richard Leroy - Les Rouliers 2017
Sold out

Richard Leroy - Les Rouliers 2017

Richard Leroy - Les Rouliers 2017
€360,00 EUR
FOR THE NERDS

Domaine Richard Leroy’s entire production comes from ~2.7 ha split between two historic Chenin sites — Les Noëls de Montbenault (about 2 ha with sandy volcanic and schist soils) and Clos des Rouliers (0.7 ha on softer sandstone schist).

From the earliest days, Leroy focused on extreme vineyard attention, low yields, and organic/biodynamic principles, seeing these as the best route to unlocking terroir nuance.

In the cellar, indigenous yeast fermentations are the norm, and after years of minimal sulphur use, he stopped adding sulphur entirely after 2011, selecting new barrels only (never sulphured), which he ages up to 7–8 years for neutrality and structural integration.

These choices — zero filtration, native yeast, and careful élevage — yield wines that are both precise and long-lived, prized for their saline grip, aromatic clarity and ability to age gracefully.

Traditionally in a region known for sweet wines, Leroy’s only dry white Chenin focus — and his decision to classify his wines as Vin de France rather than appellation wine — reflects both practical freedom and artistic intent.

“Allez les gars, on bosse!”