Xavier Caillard - Les Jardins Esmeraldins

History of Xavier Caillard - Les Jardins Esméraldins

Les Jardins Esméraldins was born in the late 1990s in Brézé, near Saumur, under the initiative of Xavier Caillard, a biologist by training specialising in viticulture. Influenced by his encounter with Mark Angeli of the Ferme de la Sansonnière, Xavier settled in his grandparents' house to create a domaine in his own image. Together with his partner Muriel, he shaped an audacious viticultural project, centred on natural practices and a minimalist approach. In 2014, the domaine moved to Coutures, near Angers, where Xavier took the helm of a four-hectare vineyard on a terroir of tuffeau and sandstone. In 2018, the domaine, now named Les Jardins de la Martinière, was acquired by the Japanese company Nichifutso Shoji, strengthening a unique Franco-Japanese connection. Today, under the direction of Kaya Tsutsui and Ludovic Joly, with the guidance of Hirotake Ooka, the domaine continues to produce rare wines faithful to Xavier's original vision.

Terroirs and Vines of Xavier Caillard - Les Jardins Esméraldins

The vines of Les Jardins Esméraldins flourished on unique terroirs, between Brézé and Coutures, in the Saumur region. The calcareous tuffeau soils, interspersed with sandstone, gave the wines a vibrant minerality and rare elegance. Covering three to four hectares, the plots housed Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, some of them aged between 60 and 70 years. Farmed biodynamically, without chemical inputs, the vines were tended by hand in an almost market-garden approach. Xavier encouraged biodiversity, allowing the grass to grow freely to enrich the soils. This absolute respect for the terroir gave birth to grapes of exceptional purity, the foundation of the domaine's legendary cuvées.

Vinifications of Xavier Caillard - Les Jardins Esméraldins

Vinification at Les Jardins Esméraldins was an act of patience and respect. Xavier Caillard, an advocate of a minimalist approach, banned sulphur and superfluous interventions, relying on indigenous yeasts to express the soul of each vintage. The ageing, the domaine's signature, extended over exceptional durations — often more than ten years — in barrels, demi-muids or glass demijohns, followed by bottle ageing. This slow process allowed the wines to reveal a unique complexity, blending freshness, minerality and evolved aromas. Long whole-cluster pressings produced limpid juices, and the absence of racking encouraged a subtle dialogue with the lees. Each wine, accompanied with care, bore the mark of a rare craftsmanship, now lost.

The Cuvées of Xavier Caillard - Les Jardins Esméraldins

Genèse Blanc 2000: Bottled in 2011, this Chenin is a masterpiece. Its aromas of praline, hazelnut and almond, carried by a gentle effervescence. Its elegant structure and intact freshness captivate lovers of great natural white wines. 

Genèse Blanc 2002: This cuvée, of striking depth, marries freshness with delicate oxidation. With notes of pear, nougat and a lively minerality.

Genèse Rouge 2003: From a warm year, this red surprises with its fluidity and delicacy. Its melted tannins and aromas of red fruits and wet stone.

Genèse Rouge 2004: This vintage, with silky tannins and vibrant acidity, offers fruity notes and a vibrant freshness. 

Genèse Blanc 2005: This white reveals an intense minerality, aromas of resin and ripe fruit. Its silky texture and notes of nougat make it a wine of rare complexity, perfect for lovers of evolved white wines.

Genèse Blanc 2009: This vintage offers an acidic tension and aromas of pear and nougat. Its finesse and slight turbidity make it an exceptional natural white wine.

Les Jardins Esméraldins, though now gone, remains a legend of natural wine. Every bottle, born from an exceptional terroir and patient craftsmanship, tells the story of a domaine that redefined viticultural elegance. Do not miss this unique opportunity to add to your cellar pieces of history, witnesses to a lost savoir-faire and a timeless passion for wine.