Anjou AOC, Savennieres AOC, Coteaux du Layon AOC, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru AOCChenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc13 haFounded 1996Jo Pithon and Isabelle PailleWinemaker Jo PithonBiodynamic PracticingORGANIC CERTIFIEDCoteaux du Layon
Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay estate of 13 hectares plus negociant activity, organically farmed Chenin Blanc across Anjou, Savennieres, Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay cellar
Signature wines: pithon-paille-clos-des-bonnes-blanches, pithon-paille-mozaik, pithon-paille-amphite
Tip: Clos des Bonnes Blanches from old-vine Chenin in Saint-Lambert is the Coteaux du Layon flagship.
Saumur AOC, Cremant de Loire AOCChenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet FrancFounded 1851Monmousseau family (Patrice and Juliette Monmousseau reacquired the company in 2015 from United Spirits / Diageo, returning it to family hands)Saumur
Monmousseau-owned Saumur sparkling house founded in 1851. Kilometres of tuffeau caves at Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent host the Saphir and Tresor cuvees.
Tasting: Year-round guided cellar visits and tastings in the kilometres of tuffeau caves carved into the cliff at Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent
Signature wines: bouvet-saphir, bouvet-tresor-blanc, bouvet-excellence-brut-rose
Tip: Saphir is the gateway Saumur Brut; Tresor Blanc is the barrel-fermented prestige cuvee with at least 24 months on the lees.
Saumur AOC, Cremant de Loire AOCChenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot d'AunisFounded 1811Terrena cooperative group (Les Grands Chais de France distribution)Saumur
Saumur sparkling house founded in 1811 by Jean-Baptiste Ackerman, who brought methode traditionnelle to the Loire. Tuffeau cellars at Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent.
Tasting: Guided tours of the monumental tuffeau galleries (20 m high, 50 m long) with a flight of fines bulles at the end; advance booking recommended
Signature wines: ackerman-cuvee-privilege-blanc, ackerman-louis-ferdinand, ackerman-royal-brut
Tip: The Cuvee Privilege Cremant de Loire (1 star, Guide Hachette) is the value entry; Louis Ferdinand is the iconic prestige bottling.
Cremant de Loire AOC, Saumur AOC, Saumur-Champigny AOC, Sancerre AOCChenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc71 haFounded 1885Champagne Bollinger group (since 1973)ORGANIC CERTIFIEDSaumur
Saumur Cremant de Loire house founded in 1885, part of the Bollinger group since 1973. Terra Vitis-certified 71-hectare estate at Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent cellars
Signature wines: langlois-brut-reserve, langlois-brut-rose, langlois-cadence-extra-brut
Tip: Brut Reserve ages a minimum of 24 months on the lees, double the appellation minimum; Cadence Extra Brut spends five years on lees.
Sancerre AOCSauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir50 haFounded 1930Vacheron familyBiodynamic PracticingORGANIC CERTIFIEDSancerre
Reference Sancerre domaine on the town's caillottes and silex soils, biodynamic since 2003 and a benchmark for both Sauvignon Blanc and single-vineyard Pinot Noir.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the family cellar in central Sancerre
Signature wines: vacheron-sancerre-blanc, vacheron-belle-dame
Tip: Belle Dame, the old-vine Pinot Noir from a single silex parcel, is the appellation's reference single-vineyard red.
Sancerre AOC, Pouilly-Fume AOCSauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir72 haFounded 1950Bourgeois familySancerre
Ten-generation Chavignol family domaine farming 72 hectares across Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, with the Mont Damne and Etienne Henri cuvees as flagships.
Tasting: Cellar visits and tastings in Chavignol; on-site wine bar (La Cote des Monts Damnes restaurant)
Signature wines: bourgeois-mont-damne, bourgeois-etienne-henri
Tip: Their Mont Damne white from the iconic Chavignol vineyard slope is a textbook Kimmeridgian-marl Sauvignon Blanc.
