Nicolas Joly

Domaine Nicolas Joly is a wine producer based in the Savennières appellation of the Loire Valley. It is known for its ageworthy wines made from Chenin Blanc, particularly those from the monopole Coulée de Serrant vineyard.

The domaine achieved its reputation under its eponymous founder. Originally working in finance in the United States and the United Kingdom, Joly returned to Savennières in 1977 to assume control of the vineyards from his parents. After a disastrous experience with weedkillers, he converted the vineyards to biodynamic status in the early 1980s and, by 1984, all the vineyards used strictly biodynamic practices. Joly has since become a key figure in advocating for biodynamic farming in winemaking.

Coulée de Serrant is one of the most notable vineyards in Savennières, along with La Roche aux Moines. It was planted by Cistercian monks in the 12th Century and was acquired by the Joly family in 1961. Today, the vineyard provides grapes for the intensely minerally Clos de la Coulée de Serrant, Joly's flagship wine. Domaine Joly makes several other wines within the Savennières appellation, including Clos de la Bergerie from the La Roche aux Moines vineyard, and Les Vieux Clos. The wines highlight the region's characteristic minerality and ageability.

In 2015, Domaine Joly was taken to court and ordered to pay outstanding membership fees to Interloire, the Loire's promotional body. Joly had refused to pay these fees, protesting that Interloire was using some of the money to advance large-scale wine producers, whose methods Joly accused of undermining the sanctity and practice of winemaking. Joly has said he will leave Interloire and set up his own organization to promote the Coulée de Serrant cru. One of the consequences may be that Coulée de Serrant will no longer appear on official Loire Valley appellation maps.