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.
Anjou-Saumur
Today, we scouted out the Anjou-Saumur wine region. The maritime influence fades and one can sense the shift towards a continental climate. Anjou and Saumur’s most famous grapes are Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet-Franc. However, we also tasted fantastic wines made from a range of other grapes mostly unfamiliar to us until now.
Two subregions meet and here are the most prominent wines of the regions:
Anjou:
dry white wines: Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, where Savennières is the top region for Chenin Blanc; noble sweet Chenin Blanc along the Layon river, a tributary of the Loire;
red wines: Cabernet Franc, Gamay and blends; the well-known Rosé d’Anjou, mostly a blend of Cabernet Franc and Grolleau.
Saumur:
red wines from Cabernet Franc, where Champigny is the most prominent region;
and for the bubbles afficionados: Crémant de Loire.
In the morning we explored the AOP Savennières appellation.
The fact that great Chenin Blanc, bursting with power, depth, elegance, and freshness, are produced in the Loire Valley, in particular in Savennières, is not on everyone’s radar. These wines compete with the great Chardonnays of Burgundy. The reputation comes from some seriously strict regulations in the AOP Savennières concerning vinification: Chenin Blanc is the only grape allowed in the region, harvesting must be by hand, and mandatory low yields guaranty optimal flavor and ripeness in each grape.
Visit at Château d’Épiré, AOP Savennières, Anjou
Château d’Épiré is one of the oldest and most prominent wine estates in the Loire Valley. It was founded in the 17 th century and has never been sold.
Originally the castle and wine estate belonged to the Pons de Las Cases family. (For the history buffs among us: after Napoleon was shipped to the island of St. Helena, he dictated his memoires to Emmanuel Pons de las Cases.) The widow of Emmanuel Pons de las Cases was childless and had no heirs. When she died in 1882 she bequeathed the castle and wine estate to her closest friend Théophile Bizard. He settled down in Épiré and continued with the wine production tradition.
Today the fifth generation, Paul Bizard manages the estate. They farm 25 acres in the best part of the Savennière appellation, planted with Chenin Blanc.
The small village of Savennières is perched on a rocky plateau 40 meters above the Loire river. The vineyards slope down in a perfect south-southwest exposure.
The estates winemaking and storage facilities are in a unique location: a half buried underground roman-catholic church, built in the 12 th century by Cistercian monks, serves as perfect facility. The one meter thick walls keep the temperature stable inside and year around.
Château d’Épiré produces 3 top dry cuvées, which are all quite different. The mainstream “Château d’Épiré” is fermented and matured in stainless steel. The “Cuvée Spéciale” comes from a ½ acre parcel of unusual black stones terroir and is fermented and matures in old barriques. The “Hu-Boyau” comes from the oldest plot and is fermented and matured for 9 months in 18 year old oak barrels undergoing malolactic fermentation.
Winemaker/ Owner Paul Bizard was busy in the wine cellar while we were there. After a peak at the winemaking facilities, an employee took us on quite long vineyard walk, where we had a magnificient view of the whole reagion. The visit ended with a tasting in the tasting room.
Château d’Épiré is represented in the USA by Kyrmit Lynch Wine Merchant in Berkeley.
Château d’Épiré (Kyrmit Lynch Wine Merchant)
Paul Bizard, the new generation in charge at this historic Loire Valley property, has wasted no time in showing his youthful energy and ambition since taking over management. His very first step was to initiate an organic conversion, a monumental challenge in a place defined by a stormy oceanic climate and unforgivingly rocky soils. This latest release suggests his work is already paying off, as it stands among the most expressive young Savennières Epiré has bottled. The fleshiness on the palate reflects the Loire’s sunny 2022 summer, yet it finishes dry and chiseled as ever, with lingering notes of acacia blossom and stone. —Tom Wolf
Arriving
Vineyard Walk
Tasting
Packing
Winemaker/ Owner Paul Bizard
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
Wine-pairing Lunch at Château des Vaults, Domaine du Closel in Savennière, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Evelyne de Pontbriand and Owner/ Chef Arthur Favé of Restaurant Le Chenin in Savennière - 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 - 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
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