schiller-wine: 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

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

we went to Château de Parnay in Saumur-Champigny. We spent some time touring the cave, the winemaking facilities and in particular the “Clos d’Entre Les Murs” vineyard, a Special Monument, before sitting down in the tasting room for a tasting of the wines of Château de Parnay in Saumur-Champigny.

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.

Château de Parnay in Saumur-Champigny (ombiasy WineTours)

The beginnings of this beautiful property go back to the 15th century. The location is just gorgeous: it sits on a slope overlooking the Loire river. In the late 19th century the château and vineyards came into the possession of Antoine Christal who transformed the estate into the jewel of the Saumur-Champigny region.

Antoine Christal built a special vineyard called a ‘clos’. Around this ‘clos,’ there are eleven additional walls, each placed between every two rows of vines. These walls have holes near the bottom so the vines can grow through them and face the sunny south while being protected from the wind on the other side of the wall. This setup, as the French say, gives the vines ‘cool feet and a warm belly from the sun,’ which helps the grapes grow well. This single vineyard is called “Clos d’Entre Les Murs” and unique to Château de Parnay.

In 2006 Regis Vincent bought the estate and continues to make it the jewel of the Loire Valley. Today the estate has 87 acres of vineyards in four plots. All plots are located on exceptional clay-limestone soils. The estate is certified organic by Ecocert and biodynamic by Demeter.

Château de Parnay (Nicolas Pearce Wines)

Château de Parnay is the flagship of the AOC Saumur Champigny. The property is located along the Loire river, classified as UNESCO World Heritage, on the most reputable clay and limestone terroirs of the appellation. The historic property was taken over by Mathias Levron & Régis Vincenot in 2006 with the aim of restoring the nobility of this special place.

Drawing their strength from the authenticity of their values, they now cultivate 50 hectares of vines with the aim of producing exceptional wines in a way that respects the environment. They have been certified organic since 2013 and are about to be certified biodynamic too.

The Clos of Chemin des Murs is the jewel of the property! Coming from the imagination of it's orginal owner, Antoine Cristal, this Clos was built, planted and cultivated according to an unprecedented technique. On this half hectare of Chenin Blanc, each vine was planted on the north face of a stone wall. Through a hole in the stone the vine crosses through the wall and allowing the grapes to grow facing the southern sunshine. The vine is said to have its 'foot in the cool and belly in the sun'.

Château de Parnay (Bruno Lafon Selection)

Vineyard

Owner : Régis Vincenot
Location : Parnay (east of Saumur)
AOC : Saumur-Champigny, Saumur Blanc
Grape varieties : Chenin, Cabernet Franc,
Terroirs : chalk, limestone
Work philosophy : organic
One Wine : Clos d'Entre Les Murs

The Story

Château de Parnay, the former estate of Antoine Cristal, extends over 35 hectares in the heart of the Saumur Champigny appellation, and is home to the famous Clos d'entre les Murs. Farmed organically on clay-limestone terroirs rich in tuffeau, the vineyard produces exceptional wines revealing the singularity of its plots. Inspired by the surrounding troglodytes and caves, the team of enthusiasts express the full richness of this unique terroir in the cellar. Great history linked to Antoine Cristal : a famous winemaker from the Loire Valley in the early 1900's, who invented a singular growing technique : roots of the vines are on one side a wall (in the shadow), while the vines goes through the wall and the "head" is in the sun, and heated in the night by the stone of the wall. Where is this technique is being used , the plot of vine is called Clos d'Entre Les Murs. This single vineyard is very specific to Château de Parnay, which has the same owner as Château de Princé.

Arriving