Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 31 December 2015, it was merged into the new commune Val-du-Layon. Continue reading... From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
La Grande Maison is some 30 minutes out of Saumur and near Le Puy Notre Dame. We arrived, were introduced to Sue and the surroundings, unpacked and then sat down to be introduced to the plans made for us over the next three days. It all sounds great!
Le Puy Notre Dame – Friday 21 June
A Visit to the Anjou and Savennieres Regions
We headed first to Passavant Sur Layon to visit Chateau de Passavant for a tasting of organically produced Anjou white, rosé, and red. A small family vineyard with amazingly low prices.
Then a picnic in the Layon area by the banks of the river.
Then on to Domaine de L’Elu to try Anjou Appellation wines from vines around Aubin sur Luigne. This was another young organic producer with experience in Champagne and Provence. I think we have mentioned that there are two grape varieties in the Loire - red cabernet franc and white Chenin Blanc. What is amazing is the impact that terroir (growing conditions – soil & climate) has on the wine. The result is a large variety of examples that make for amazing taste experiences – similar to what we experience in Burgundy. Here there were also examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Rosé.
Le Puy Notre Dame – Saturday 22 June
A visit to the Touraine and Bourgeuil & St Nicolas de Bourgeuil Region
First stop today in the opposite direction to yesterday’s samplings, and the first stop was at Chateau du Petit Thouars. We tasted three basic Cabernet Francs and then a premier vintage, 2009. The tasting finished with a Cremant sparkling from Cabernet Franc grapes which was added to our collection (and also later consumed).
Next stop was Fredric Mabielau which was in St Nicolas de Bourgeuil. This tasting continued with the predominant red, Cabernet Franc. This vineyard rises from sandy loam up the slopes and this was reflected in the wines we tasted. The final (red) wine was a 2010 Eclipse situated near the forest line at the top of the rise. We then tried their Saumur Blanc from the Le Puy Notre Dame vineyard.
As if we had not already appreciated the many varieties of Cabernet Franc available, Domaine des Chevallerie showed us their Cabernet Franc collection of 15 wines in their cave.
Le Puy Notre Dame – Sunday 23 June
A visit to the Saumur & Saumur Champigny regions
Sue was our guide for today’s tour, firstly to Langlois Chateau. Here we had an explanation in French of wine-making as it relates to the production of Cremant de Loire (sparkling Loire style made in the traditional style). A tour of the caves followed and an extensive sampling of the full range of Langlois wines.
Domaine Fouet provided a tasting of Sauvignon Blanc from three areas incl. Sancerre, then some Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Cuvée Ebene (€18 with 10 years cellaring potential) took us down into the caves.
We called in at Chateau de Breze to view its massive dry moat and a very large Pigeonniere. See more here.
Our final visit was to Chateau de Chaintres for a tasting. This property has a large walled vineyard producing predominantly Cabernet Franc.