Cravant-les-Coteaux estate where Philippe Alliet trained in Bordeaux and brought a Medoc-style approach (long extractions, new oak) to Chinon Cabernet Franc.
Signature wines: Vieilles Vignes, Coteau de Noire, L'Huisserie
Tip: Coteau de Noire is the high-end tuffeau-plateau cuvee; the Vieilles Vignes is excellent value.
Address: L'Ouche Mondee, 37500 Cravant-les-Coteaux, France, Loire Valley
Restigne natural-wine icons farming 11 hectares biodynamically since 1990, with low-sulphur Cabernet Franc Bourgueils that helped define the Loire natural-wine movement.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment in Restigne
Signature wines: Trinch, Clos Senechal, Les Perrieres
Tip: Trinch! (chinkers!) is the entry-level low-sulphur Bourgueil; Les Perrieres is the old-vine tuffeau-plateau cuvee.
Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil estate of 20 hectares, organic since 2007, with parcel-bottled Cabernet Francs across both appellations.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Bourgueil domaine
Signature wines: La Petite Cave, La Source, Les Malgagnes
Tip: Les Malgagnes in Saint-Nicolas and La Petite Cave in Bourgueil are the long-ageing flagships.
Restigne family estate going back 14 generations, 38 hectares of Demeter-certified biodynamic Cabernet Franc with extensive parcel-bottling and a maze of tuffeau cellars.
Tasting: Visits and tastings at the cellar; underground tuffeau cave open to visitors
Signature wines: Les Galichets, Chevalerie, Busardieres
Tip: The cellars house bottles dating back more than a century; book a vertical tasting of the Galichets cuvee.
Soings-en-Sologne family estate of 58 hectares mainly Gamay and Sauvignon, with 5.5 hectares of franc-de-pied (ungrafted) plantings and the 200-year-old Provignage Romorantin vine.
Tasting: Visits and tastings at the Domaine de la Charmoise; one of the few growers with ungrafted parcels
Signature wines: Premiere Vendange, Vinifera Sauvignon, Provignage
Tip: Provignage is bottled from a 200-year-old plot of ungrafted pre-phylloxera Romorantin vines at Domaine de la Charmoise (one of the few documented pre-phylloxera plots in France).
Monopole Savennieres-Coulee de Serrant, the seven-hectare Chenin Blanc walled vineyard biodynamic since 1984 under Nicolas Joly, France's biodynamic apostle.
Tasting: Monday-Saturday 9-12, 14-17:30; tastings without reservation; closed Sundays and French holidays
Signature wines: Coulée de Serrant, Savennières-Roche aux Moines Le Clos de la Bergerie, Savennières Les Vieux Clos
Tip: The wine needs 3-5 hours of aeration (or a year in bottle) to open; tasting at the domaine is the only way to see it served correctly.
Rochefort-sur-Loire family domaine farming key plots in Savennieres (Clos du Papillon) and Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru, with bottlings going back five centuries of family history.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Rochefort-sur-Loire cellar
Signature wines: Savennières Clos du Papillon, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru, Coteaux du Layon Clos Sainte Catherine
Tip: Quarts de Chaume from Baumard, drunk after 20-30 years, is honey, quince and chalk in a glass.
Let us take you to some of the best vineyards in the area - Chinon, Saumur, Bourgueil - and discover the amazing wines - whites, rosés, reds, and sparkling. Walk the v...
I'm formerly of Devon in the United Kingdom but now live in Chinon. I've always cycled and loved my bike, and for the best part of my adult life, always loved wine... ...
Embark on a full day wine tour, including an amazing "Farm to table" style lunch with tasting. You will discover the Loire Valley wines and gastronomy with a passionat...
Wine tastings and winery visits in Loire Valley (22) · Wine tours and day trips in Loire Valley (35) · Wine tours by bike in Loire Valley (5)
