Saumur-Champigny AOC, Saumur AOCCabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc10 haFounded 1664Bouygues family (Martin and Olivier Bouygues, since 2017)ORGANIC CERTIFIEDSaumur-Champigny
Saumur-Champigny's grand cru: the Foucault brothers' 10 hectares of Cabernet Franc and old-vine Chenin at Chace, sold to the Bouygues family in 2017 after eight family generations.
Tasting: No public visits. Wines on strict allocation through importers.
Signature wines: clos-rougeard-le-bourg, clos-rougeard-les-poyeux, clos-rougeard-le-clos
Tip: Le Bourg from old vines is the appellation's reference grand-cru-class bottle; vintages 2005, 2009 and 2010 are the modern benchmarks.
Saumur-Champigny AOC, Saumur AOC, Coteaux de Saumur AOCCabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc18.5 haFounded 1840Vatan family (Philippe and Agathe Vatan)Winemaker Philippe VatanORGANIC CERTIFIEDSaumur-Champigny
Dampierre-sur-Loire Saumur-Champigny estate of 18.5 hectares, certified organic since 2007, with cellars dug into the tuffeau cliffs above the Loire.
Tasting: Visits and tastings at the troglodyte cellars by appointment
Signature wines: hureau-fevettes, hureau-lisagathe, hureau-tuffe
Tip: Lisagathe, from the two best old-vine parcels, is the long-ageing flagship; book the troglodyte cellar visit.
Saumur-Champigny AOC, Saumur AOCCabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc28 haFounded 1850Thierry and Marie GermainWinemaker Thierry GermainDemeter CertifiedDEMETERSaumur-Champigny
Varrains domaine taken over by Thierry Germain in 1991, 28 hectares biodynamic, trained by the Foucaults of Clos Rougeard.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment in Varrains
Signature wines: roches-neuves-cuvee-domaine, roches-neuves-clos-de-lechelier, roches-neuves-franc-de-pied
Tip: The Franc de Pied cuvee from ungrafted vines is the cellar-door rarity; the Cuvee Domaine is the textbook entry point.
Muscadet Sevre et Maine AOC, Vin de FranceMelon de Bourgogne, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay23 haFounded 1972Fred and Claire Niger (since 2010)Winemaker Fred NigerDemeter CertifiedDEMETERMuscadet Sevre et Maine
Le Landreau Muscadet pioneer: Guy Bossard converted to organic in 1975 and Demeter biodynamic in 1998; Fred and Claire Niger took over in 2010 and continue the legacy.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment in Le Landreau
Signature wines: ecu-granite, ecu-orthogneiss, ecu-gneiss
Tip: Granite, Orthogneiss and Gneiss are the three soil-cuvee bottlings that mapped Muscadet's terroir before Cru Communals existed.
Muscadet Sevre et Maine AOC (Clisson Cru Communal)Melon de Bourgogne50 haFounded 1683Marie and Pierre-Marie LuneauWinemaker Pierre-Marie LuneauBiodynamic PracticingORGANIC CERTIFIEDMuscadet Sevre et Maine
Le Landreau Muscadet powerhouse, ninth-generation Luneau family with 47 parcels across Chapelle-Heulin, Le Landreau and Vallet, biodynamic and pioneers of single-vineyard Muscadet.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment in Le Landreau
Signature wines: luneau-papin-l-dor, luneau-papin-clos-des-allees, luneau-papin-pierre-de-la-grange
Tip: L d'Or from granite, Pierre de la Grange and the Clisson Cru Communal show three terroirs at the top of the appellation.
Muscadet Sevre et Maine AOC (Clisson, Gorges, Chateau-Thebaud Cru Communaux)Melon de Bourgogne, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir42 haFounded 1984Marc Ollivier, Remi Branger, Gwenaelle CroixWinemaker Remi BrangerORGANIC CERTIFIEDMuscadet Sevre et Maine
Maisdon-sur-Sevre estate established by Marc Ollivier in 1984, Cru Communal pioneer with Clisson, Gorges and Chateau-Thebaud bottlings.
Tasting: Visits and tastings by appointment at the Maisdon-sur-Sevre cellar
Signature wines: pepiere-clisson, pepiere-gorges, pepiere-la-pepie
Tip: Clisson from gabbro soils gets 24+ months of lees ageing; it ages 10-15 years and tastes like white Chassagne at one-third the price.
