Monday, November 17, 2025

3-course Dinner at Restaurant L’ Alchimiste in Saumur (Michelin Guide Listed), a 2-Person Operation of Chef François Deplange and his Wife - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours





  

The Loire Tour 2025 by ombiasy WineTours took place from Sunday, October 5 to Thursday, October 16, 2025. The tour started in Nantes and ended in Sancerre, with a bus transfer and lunch in Paris. There were 9 of us including Annette and myself.

Following:

Extensive Vinyard Walk, Short Visit of the Wine Cellar and High-end Tasting in the Wine Cellar at Domaine Belargus in Saint-Lambert du Lattey, Anjou - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Charcuterie and Cheese Lunch with Wine Tasting plus Cellar Tour and Vineyard Tour at Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Touring the Cave, the Winemaking Facilities and the “Clos d’Entre Les Murs” Vineyard, a Special Monument, and Tasting at Château de Parnay in Saumur-Champigny - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

we went for dinner to Restaurant L’Alchimiste in Saumur, a small unassuming restaurant listed in the Michelin Guide. In my view,  Chef François Deplange cooks at the Bib Gourmand level, but he is only listed in the Michelin Guide. His spouse is front of house. A 2-person operation, run and owned by a couple.

Loire 2025 by ombiasy WineTours led by Annette Schiller 

Annette Schiller in her announcement: What comes to your mind when you hear ‘Loire Valley’? Of course images of glorious Châteaux pop up in your mind. Yes that is true and we will visit some iconic château and dig deep into France’s history. However, during this wine tour we also discover a magnificent, but often overlooked French wine region and one of the most exciting best kept secrets of excellent, high quality wines at very reasonable prices. The Loire Valley wine region is a vast area and consists of several distinct wine regions, each with its own characteristic grapes, appellations, and wine style. We take you on a journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the Auvergne mountains to explore this unique region. We learn to appreciate “Sancerre”, "Pouilly-Fumé", “Vouvray", “Chinon”, as well as many other not so familiar appellations.

Restaurant L’Alchimiste in Saumur – Michelin Listed

Despite the name you won’t find any molecular cuisine here. Instead, enjoy good, no - nonsense dishes such as courgette and goat’s cheese flan, and poached pears. It is often full so it is best to book.  

Restaurant L'Alchimiste with Chef François Deplagne

It is one of those 2-person operation owned and run by a couple, where he is in the kitchen and she takes care of the services, with the number of couverts limited to 20. In my view it is at the 1 Star Michelin level. 
 
Chef François Deplagne only uses ingredients that come from the area: "Une carte épurée, renouvelée continuellement , des produits frais, les plus locaux possible, servis dans un cadre intimiste de vingt couverts à deux pas du centre de Saumur..."
 
wine-pages.com:  I've only been twice but always enjoyed L'alchimiste if we're talking Saumur, Despite the name it's in no way molecular. Just good old fashioned French food, with a little bit of an Asian twist. It's relaxed, welcoming and has a well priced and short (mainly local) wine list.
 
Destination Saumur: In a contemporary setting, François Deplagne will introduce you to inventive and refined traditional cuisine, depending on the seasons.

tripsavy.com (Mary Anne Evans): L’Alchimiste is the best restaurant in Saumur, with a small garden for summer dining. It’s central and the chef uses good local ingredients to produce some great specialties. 

Saumur 



 
Saumur in the Loire Valley
 
tripsavy.com (Mary Anne Evans)
 
Saumur lies on a beautiful stretch of the western Loire valley between Tours and Angers before the mighty river flows into the Atlantic at Nantes. It’s a glorious area known for its odd troglodyte dwellings built in the limestone cliffs by our oh-so-distant ancestors.
 
Saumur is famous above all for two things: its excellent sparkling wine (you can visit many of the producers), and its military associations. Here you’ll find the Armoured Corps Academy and the French Cavalry Academy, housed in two-story gracious 18th-century buildings around a dusty square that is now a car park.
 
Start by strolling through the medieval streets that run from the river to the Eglise St-Pierre. Set in a delightful square the Gothic church is surrounded by wood-framed buildings that now house cafes and restaurants.
 
The château of Saumur stands above the city. Its fairytale white towers, delicate stone tracery, and mullion windows were depicted in Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, the 11th century illuminated manuscript that is reproduced everywhere. It is a book of hours, a collection of prayers for the canonical hours, created between 1412 and 1416 by the Limbourg brothers for John Duke of Berry.
 
Today the château is best viewed from the outside. Built in the second half of the 14th century by Louis I, Duc d’Anjou it was once a magnificent structure. Today much is closed for restoration though there is a museum of decorative and fine arts which you can visit....
 
...Walking around Saumur you’ll soon see its military roots in the open parade grounds surrounded by 19th-century barracks and the huge school for training horses.
 
The National Riding School (Le Cadre Noir) is just outside the main center of Saumur, a car journey or a taxi ride away. This 300-hectare estate is where the elite come to train under expert Ecuyers (riding instructors).
 
It was founded in 1815 after the Napoleonic wars had destroyed so much of the French cavalry to train both riders and horses for yet more warfare. Discipline and hard work, practice, and understanding are the mainstays of the school, which is much the same as it was in the days before tanks took over from horses....
 
...L’Alchimiste is the best restaurant in Saumur, with a small garden for summer dining. It’s central and the chef uses good local ingredients to produce some great specialties. ...
 







2 Menus for Euro 34 and Euro 45



Aperitif





Taking Orders




Pre-Entrée
 
 
Entrée
 




Plat
 




Dessert - Fromage
 


 
Chef François Deplange
 



 
Bye-bye 
 


After-dinner Drink at the Hotel
 

Le Boeuf Noisette (note to myself for the next tour)

The next day, there was no group dinner and 4 of us went to the Le Boeuf Noisette, which they highly recommended: 

Le Boeuf Noisette 29 rue Molière, Saumur, 49400, France, €€ · Traditional Cuisine   

Michelin-listed: Take a seat in this vintage - style bistro, dotted with benches, marble tables and mirrors to sample a brief, well - designed menu focused on regional produce (particularly “Rouge des prés” beef). Ideally located behind the theatre, parallel with the Loire embankment and close to a large carpark. First - class, short food supply chain produce. 
schiller-wine: Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours - Already Published Postings  

Summary of the Loire Valley Tour 2025 by ombiasy WineTours: The Facebook Postings of David Miller

Where in the World are Norm and Susan? On the 2025 Loire Valley Tour by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller

Saturday Morning at the Talensac Market, a True Nantes Institution - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Oysters and Muscadet at Taverne Royale in Nantes - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Riding the Grand Elephant of Nantes - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Guided Tour of Old Town Nantes - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at Iconic Brasserie La Cigale in Nantes - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and tasting at Maison Chéreau Carré, AOP Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, with Bernard Chéreau - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

"Formule du Midi" at Chez Pipette, Auberge Bistronomique, in La Haie-Fouassiere - Loire Valley 2025 bu ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Gadais Père et Fils, in Saint Fiacre-sur-Maine, Muscadet Sévre et Maine, Pays Nantais, with Christoph Gadais - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at Les Petits Prés in Angers with "Top Chef France" Samuel Albert - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Introduction in the Courtyard, Cellar Tour, Tasting and Bottling at Domaine Loïc Mahé, with Loïc Mahé - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour and Salon Tasting at Château des Vaults, Domaine du Closel in Savennières, Anjou - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Brasserie de la Maine in Bouchemaine - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Visit of Château Angers and the Apocalypse Tapestry (UNESCO) - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

For a Bottle of Natural Wine from the Loire at Wine Bar L’ Angevigne in Angers - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Extensive Vinyard Walk, Short Visit of the Wine Cellar and High-end Tasting in the Wine Cellar at Domaine Belargus in Saint-Lambert du Lattey, Anjou - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Charcuterie and Cheese Lunch with Wine Tasting plus Cellar Tour and Vineyard Tour at Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

Touring the Cave, the Winemaking Facilities and the “Clos d’Entre Les Murs” Vineyard, a Special Monument, and Tasting at Château de Parnay in Saumur-Champigny - Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours

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