On the way to the Salon from La Dive I took a little detour to see where François Saint-Lô perform his vini-magique—especially chenin blanc. I’ve been to a lot of Loire caves in my life—gorgeous ones, the ones like at Brezé that could house several armies—but this one reigns supreme for a working cellar. Not the most gorgeous but perhaps the most embedded with ancient secrets.
But perhaps it was also the vibe, as if I had stumbled on to a bunch of anarchists huddling near the USB power charging station on 2nd Avenue with their Rottweilers and dog bowls. Led by François, they live in this part of the Loire and under his direction, help him make his snappy wines. The vines are 15km away. Before I left I was told I had to see the toilet. Damn. Didn’t take picture. The anarchist’s convention had built a beautiful, sauna-like palace of comfort.
