schiller-wine

Friday, July 26, 2024

Tasting and Cellar Tour at Clotilde Legrand, Domaine Legrand, in Varrains, Anjou, with Clotilde Legrand - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

2024 Loire by ombiasy Wine Tours, led by Annette Schiller, took place from Sunday, June 9 to Thursday June 20, 2024. The tour started in Nantes and ended in Sancerre.

We visited 3 wineries on this day.

Following:

Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domäne Vincendeau in Rochefort-sur-Loire, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Liv Vincendeau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with a Light Lunch at Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

we went to Clotilde Legrand, Domaine Legrand, in Varrains, Anjou.

Clotilde was our host. Following a portfolio tasting, Clotilde took us to her old wine cellar, where she ages her wines both in barrel and bottle, before releasing them. Following her father, Clotilde tends to keep her wines for an extended period before putting them on the market. Thus, the wines we tasted were mostly 2011, 2014 and 2015.

Clotilde Legrand is represented in the USA by Weygandt Metzler.

Clotilde Legrand - Domaine Legrand in Varrains, Anjou

The Legrand family can trace their wine grower history back to the 17 th century. In 2014 the first women – Clotilde Legrand – took over and has since become an icon in the Saumur-Champigny appellation.

The domaine farms 44 acres, mostly planted with Cabernet-Franc, and a tiny parcel with Chenin Blanc. The vineyards are divided into about twenty plots spread out over the villages of Saumur, Dampierre, Chacé, Varrains, and Souzay-Champigny. The average age of the vines is 45 years, with the oldest being
planted in 1927. The soils are clay-limestone and these produce the best Saumur-Champigny wines.

In Saumur, the vines grow on gentle slopes which are traditionally enclosed by walls, hence a “Clos”. These tufa (the local name) walls ensure optimal maturation of the grapes through their protection and brightness.

All fruit is harvested manually, fermentation is spontaneously, followed by malolactic fermentation and
ageing 2 to 4 years in French oak of which is 1/3 new. The vinification is dome without adding sulfites. There is no fining and filtering before bottling.

Weygandt Metzler

The Legrand family was one of earliest producers of the Saumur-Champigny appellation, and has a history with winegrowing dating back to the 17th century. In 2014, Clotilde became the Legrand family's first female winegrower. Clotilde wishes, just as her father René-Noël had, to focus on the traditional aspect of vinification. Her main objective is to obtain high quality wines, every year, while respecting the characteristics of each vintage.

The vineyard is comprised of 17 hectares of Cabernet Franc divided up into twenty plots split between the villages of Saumur, Dampierre, Chacé, Varrains and Souzay-Champigny. The average vine-age is around 45 years. The oldest plots date back to 1927. A small plot of Chenin produces Saumur Blanc, a dry Chenin. In Saumur, vines grow on gentle slopes traditionally enclosed by walls - some old, some ancient. These freestone walls provide protection for the vines and allow for optimal brightness to aid maturation of the grapes. Vines planted in limestone and chalk soils produce the best Saumur-Champigny. For over 30 years, grass has been allowed to grow between the vine rows on all plots, for a more environmentally friendly approach.

Saumur is known for its limestone: the tufa. The first caves were dug by humans over a thousand years ago and make up a huge underground network. Over the centuries, these galleries (tunnels) were used as shelters for themselves or for livestock. At the end of the 19th century, some were even converted into mushroom factories. And over the millennia, the galleries have been used as a place for winemaking and have the advantage of providing ideal conditions for wine storage; high relative humidity and temperature being both fresh and constant (?12°C).

In the spirit of excellence the legendary 1947 vintage demonstrated, the Legrand family continues to craft both table-ready and cellar-ready wines, with traditional French oak barrel-ageing for the finest vintages.

Arriving

Tasting

Tour of the Cellar

Bye-bye

Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours: Already Released and Forthcoming Postings

Announcement: Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours (Sunday, June 09 - Thursday June 20, 2024)

Stopover in Frankfurt: 3 Nights at Zur Mainlust Desche Otto in Frankfurt/ Schwanheim - From Washington DC (USA) to Nantes (France) for 2024 Loire by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller

Pitstop at Le Petit Sommelier, Standard (10.5/ 20 Gault&Millau) Food and Worldclass Wine List, Just Opposite of Gare Monteparnasse in Paris - From Washington DC (USA) to Nantes (France) for 2024 Loire by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller

Dinner at L'Océanide (Bib Gourmand Michelin) in Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at L'Instinct Gourmand in Nantes, with Owner/ Chef Sylvain le Bras - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Guided Tour of Old Town Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at Iconic Brasserie La Cigale in Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour, Tasting and Light Lunch at Vignobles Günther Chéreau, Château du Coing, in Saint Fiacre-sur-Maine, with Owner Véronique Günther-Chéreau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Two Domaines under one Roof: Visit at Domaine Gadais Père et Fils and Domaine de la Combe/ Pierre-Henri Gadais in Saint Fiacre-sur-Maine, Muscadet Sévre et Maine, Pays Nantais, with Owner/ Winemaker Christoph Gadais - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at Restaurant Les Petits Près of Chef Samuel Albert (Top Chef France 2019) in Angers - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Château d’Épiré, AOP Savennières, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Paul Bizard - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Barrel Tasting and Salon Tasting at Château des Vaults, Domaine du Closel in Savennière, Anjou, with Owner/ winemaker Evelyne de Pontbriand - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

In the Private Dining Room: Wine-pairing Lunch at Château des Vaults, Domaine du Closel in Savennières, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Evelyne de Pontbriand and Owner/ Chef Arthur Favé of Restaurant Le Chenin in Savennières - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Guided Visit of Château Angers and the Apocalypse Tapestry (UNESCO) - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at Brasserie du Ralliement in Angers, Owned and Run by Top Chef France 2019 Samuel Albert - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domäne Vincendeau in Rochefort-sur-Loire, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Liv Vincendeau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with a Light Lunch at Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting and Cellar Tour at Clotilde Legrand, Domaine Legrand, in Varrains, Anjou, with Clotilde Legrand - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at Restaurant L’Essentiel in Saumur - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Guided Visit of L’ Abbey Royale de Fontevraud in Fontevraud - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at L’Orangerie Saumur in the Courtyard of the Château de Saumur - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting, Cellar Tour and Vineyard Tour at Domaine des Roches Neuves in Varrains, Anjou, with Next Generation Owner/ Winemaker Louis Germain and Agathe Germain - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Maison Bouvet-Ladubay in Saumur, with Owner Juliette Monmousseau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Cave M. Plouzeau in Chinon, Touraine, with Owner/ Winemaker Marc Plouzeau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Domaine de la Haut Olive in Chinon, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Le Bistrot du Marché in Chinon - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine François Gazin, Le Petit Chambord, in Cheverney, Touraine, with François Gazin - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at Restaurant Brut Maison de Cuisine in Blois, with Owner/ Chef Adrien Delafoy and Owner/ Chef Thomas Gaudard - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour by Car and Tasting at Domaine Brazilier in Thoré-la-Rochette, CôteauxVendômois, Touraine, with Owner/ Winemaker Benoît Braziliery - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Le Moulin du Loir in Vendôme - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Visit of Château Chambord - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Guided Tour of Château Royal de Blois - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Sunday Lunch at Restaurant La Croix Blanche (Bib Gourmand Michelin), with Owner/ Chef Jean-François Beauduin - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Guided Visit of Château du Clos Lucé and the Leonardo-da-Vinci Park in Amboise - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner, Overnight-stay and Breakfast at Château de Pray in Amboise - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours.

Visit at Denis Meunier in Vernou-sur-Brenne, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Visit at Domaine des Aubuisières, Bernard Fouquet, in Vouvray, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Guided Visit of Château Chenonceau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner and Overnight-stay at Auberge du Bon Laboureur in Chenonceau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Pellé in Morogues, Menetou-Salon, with the Export Manager Pauline Guillot - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Restaurant Fluteau in Morogues - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Extensive Tasting at at Domaine Alphons Mellot in Sancerre, with Alphons Mellot - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine de Vrillères, SCEA in Sury-en-Vaux, Sancerre, with Kevin Lauverjat - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Tinel-Blondelet in Pouilly-sur-Loire, with Marlène and Annick Tinel - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Restaurant/ Affineur Romain Dubois in Chavignol, with Gilles Dubois - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domaine Henri Bourgeois in Chavignol - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Wine-pairing Dinner at Le Clos du Maréchal with the Wines of Vignobles Berthier, with the Owner/ Winemaker Clément Berthier and the Chef/ Owner Nathanael Fromant - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Last Meal of the Tour: At La Coupole in Paris - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with a Light Lunch at Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

2024 Loire by ombiasy Wine Tours, led by Annette Schiller, took place from Sunday, June 9 to Thursday June 20, 2024. The tour started in Nantes and ended in Sancerre.

Following:

Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domäne Vincendeau in Rochefort-sur-Loire, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Liv Vincendeau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

we went to Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou, were we were greeted by the Director, Vianney de Tastes. The view from the château over the valley in the distance was breathtakingly gorgeous.

Alexandrine Marie toured with us the domaine and hosted us for a charcuterie and cheese lunch with a tasting of the Domaine de la Soucherie wines.

Domaine de la Soucherie is represented in the USA by Rosenthal Wine Merchant.

Alexandrine Marie - Chargée de l’Oenotourisme et de l’Événementiel

Titulaire d’un Master « Marketing et Vente, Parcours Commerce des Vins » à Montpellier Management, Alexandrine est la « petite dernière » du domaine. Elle est en charge de l’accueil de nos visiteurs et de l’organisation des évènements à la Soucherie.

Vianney de Tastes - Directeur du Domaine

Arrivé en janvier 2019, ce fils de viticulteur bordelais, titulaire d’un Mastère « Gestion de Domaines Viticoles » à Bordeaux Sciences Agro, élabore nos vins et encadre l’ensemble des activités de notre domaine.

Rosenthal Wine Merchant

The Château Soucherie may be the most physically beautiful property of all the domaines with which we work. The house itself is a unique architectural gem that sits on a rise overlooking the vineyards that snake down towards the Layon river. My first visit at the estate was in early 1982, a frigid, damp day that I will remember forever. I was exploring the truly verdant slopes and valleys of the Layon region, intensely “green” no matter the season, in search of that special regional version of Chenin Blanc that, at its best, can be one of the most compelling of wines. My research led me to Soucherie and I was greeted by the ebullient presence of the proprietaire, Pierre-Yves Tijou. On that cold day, with the winter chill surging through the earth and cement floor of the chai installing itself deep in my bones, the warmth and graciousness and simple good cheer of Monsieur Tijou leavened the frost and coddled the body. Thirty years later we remain friends.

That day I was introduced to the complex and savory nature of these wines born of the Layon and its marriage to the noble Chenin Blanc. For every year since, we have been engaged with this magnificent domaine and its dry and sweet versions of wines of the Coteaux du Layon and of Savennieres. As well, there are the simple and satisfying reds and rosés that render the fruits of the local Cabernet Franc and Grolleau … overall a quite complete vinous experience.

As life would have it on occasion, not everything goes according to plan. During the early part of the decade of 2000, Pierre-Yves took ill and the stress of his recovery pushed him to sell this magnificent domaine to give his son and successor, Mathieu, the freedom to “downsize” and control his destiny. The Tijous thus acquired a neighboring estate, the Chateau L’Eperonniere, that belonged to Mathieu’s uncle and sold Soucherie to Roger Beguinot. The transition for all may have been psychologically difficult but the end result for us was the ability to continue to work with Château Soucherie and add the wines of Château L’Eperonniere to our portfolio, an utterly satisfying result made even more pleasing by the eventual recovery that Pierre-Yves made to return to good health. So, a difficult story turns out to have a lovely ending.

Under Roger Beguinot’s direction, the buildings and the vineyards have been renovated and this 36 hectare property is more exquisite than ever before. Four of the thirty-six hectares are situated in the prime vineyard of Chaume and then two hectares are in Savennieres in a single-vineyard known as “Clos des Perrieres”. The remaining vineyards which encircle the chateau are in the Anjou and Coteaux du Layon appellations. Soucherie is surrounded by the villages of Rochefort-sur-Loire, Beaulieu-sur-Layon and Saint Lambert du Lattay. The soils are principally limestone, clay and schist.

Beguinot’s assistant, the maitre de chai, is the young Thibaud Boudignon who is leading the charge towards 100% organic viticulture through the principles of “agriculture integrée”. The domaine is divided into a series of single-vineyard sites, several of which are isolated to produce “lieu-dit” denominated wines.

Le Guide Hachette des Vins

Cette propriété historique dotée d'un magnifique point de vue sur la vallée du Layon est depuis 2007 la dame de cœur de Roger-François Béguinot. Cet industriel a connu le succès dans l'agroalimentaire et a décidé de vouer son énergie aux 28 ha de vignes réparties en appellations anjou, savennières (1,80 ha au Clos des Perrières), coteaux-du-layon et chaume (4 ha). Les vins seront certifiés bio à partir du millésime 2022.

Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou

The viticultural domaine is part of the Château Soucherie which was originally a farm owned by the Duke of Brissac. He built this château as a leisure place.

In 2007 the château was acquired by Roger-François Béguinot, who made his fortune in infant nutrition. The beautiful château and the winery sit on a high point above the Layon river. The 70 acres of vineyards are immediately around the château on gentle south-facing slopes running down to the river. The soils are various types of schist.

A wide variety of wines is produced: the whites from Chenin Blanc: a noble sweet Côteaux du Layon, an
every day Anjou Blanc, a top Chaume 1er Cru, and a top Savennières “Clos des Perrières”. Grape varieties planted are Gamay, Grolleau, Cabernet Franc for the reds and Chenin (94%) and Chardonnay (6%) for the whites.

Arriving at Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou

Great View with Vianney de Tastes - Directeur du Domaine

Cellar Tour

Vineyard Tour

Lunch with Tasting