Philippe Foreau's 12-hectare Vouvray on the Premiere Cote next door to Huet, with the Goutte d'Or moelleux made only in exceptional vintages.
Signature wines: foreau-vouvray-sec, foreau-moelleux-reserve, foreau-goutte-dor
Tip: Foreau picks parcel by parcel multiple times each harvest; the Sec is a dry-Chenin masterclass.
Address: 14 Rue de la Croix Buisee, 37210 Vouvray, France, Loire Valley
Montlouis reference, 45 hectares biodynamic across Montlouis (22 ha) and Vouvray (10 ha), with the Clos Baudoin in Vouvray as the historic monopole.
Tasting: Cellar visits at the domaine; tasting room La Cave Insolite at 30 quai Albert Baillet, Montlouis
Signature wines: chidaine-les-choisilles, chidaine-clos-du-breuil, chidaine-clos-baudoin
Tip: Clos du Breuil is the entry-point dry Montlouis; Clos Baudoin is the Vouvray monopole worth tracking down.
Cravant-les-Coteaux reference, 32 hectares of Cabernet Franc on the three Chinon terroirs (gravel, clay-limestone, tuffeau plateau), each bottled as a single-vineyard.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Cravant-les-Coteaux domaine
Signature wines: baudry-les-grezeaux, baudry-la-croix-boissee, baudry-le-clos-guillot
Tip: La Croix Boissee from the high tuffeau plateau is one of Chinon's most age-worthy reds and the appellation's quiet grand cru.
Sazilly estate created by sculptor-winemaker Charles Joguet in 1957, with 30 hectares of Cabernet Franc and 2 of Chenin, single-vineyard bottlings since the 1980s.
Tasting: Visits and tastings Monday-Friday 10-13, 14-18; Saturday 10-18 (April-October)
Signature wines: joguet-clos-de-la-dioterie, joguet-clos-du-chene-vert, joguet-les-varennes-du-grand-clos
Tip: Clos de la Dioterie, an old-vine south-facing parcel, is the appellation's most singular old-vine red.
Savigny-en-Veron family domaine with library reserves going back decades; the Les Picasses cuvee from clay-limestone hillside is the reference Chinon for ageing potential.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment in Savigny-en-Veron
Signature wines: olga-raffault-les-picasses, olga-raffault-les-barnabes
Tip: Aged Les Picasses (15+ years) is one of France's quiet bargains: aged Cabernet Franc at a fraction of Bordeaux prices.
Family-run Chinon at Ligre, 24 hectares of organic Cabernet Franc on a hillside plateau with commanding views over the Chinon fortress.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Ligre domaine
Signature wines: noblaie-les-chiens-chiens, noblaie-pierre-de-tuf
Tip: Jerome Billard trained at Petrus and Dominus; the Les Chiens-Chiens cuvee shows in the polish of the wines.
Cravant-les-Coteaux estate where Philippe Alliet trained in Bordeaux and brought a Medoc-style approach (long extractions, new oak) to Chinon Cabernet Franc.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at Cravant-les-Coteaux
Signature wines: alliet-vieilles-vignes, alliet-coteau-de-noire, alliet-lhuisserie
Tip: Coteau de Noire is the high-end tuffeau-plateau cuvee; the Vieilles Vignes is excellent value.
