Côteaux du Layon, a prestigious AOC in the Loire Valley (Anjou, Maine-et-Loire), produces sweet and syrupy white wines made from Chenin Blanc grapes. Extending over some 1,400 hectares along the Layon, a tributary of the Loire, it covers 27 communes near Angers. Its schist and clay-limestone terroir, combined with a microclimate conducive to noble rot (Botrytis cinerea), favors exceptional sweet wines. With yields limited to 25 hl/ha, Côteaux du Layon wines offer a perfect balance of sweetness, acidity and aromas of candied fruit, honey and white flowers, ideal for long ageing. The Chaume and Quarts-de-Chaume sub-appellations further enhance this prestige.