Savennières, one of the most prestigious appellations of the Loire

The Savennières appellation

Produced in the communes of Savennières, Possonières, and Bouchemaine, Savennières is the jewel of the Loire hillsides, and one of the greatest French white wines. It is produced over an area of approximately 340 ha, of which 82 ha are actually cultivated, to which are added new plantings, such as the plot cleared by Eric Morgat, on a superb hillside overlooking the Loire, facing due south. Most Savennières are dry white wines, but in the past this Angevin cru was mainly medium-sweet. Some medium-sweet and even more rarely sweet wines are produced in exceptional vintages, particularly at Clos du Papillon, Roche Aux Moines, and Coulée de Serrant. Savennières generally need to be aged for a few years in the cellar before they develop their full body. A new generation of winemakers (Laureau, Morgat, among others) has been settling in Savennières since the late 1990s: a real revolution in vineyard and cellar practices is beginning to change the reputation for austerity of Savennières and allows excellent wines to be enjoyed from their early youth. In good vintages, wines from the Savennières appellation can be kept for several decades, particularly when they come from premier terroirs, such as Roche aux Moines or Coulée de Serrant. From a geological perspective, the appellation offers a great diversity of soils:

- schist (for 191.4 ha, or 57.6% of the AOC – of the area that can be claimed), which makes the glory of the Layon hillsides
- sandstone (77.7 ha - 23.3%), as on the Epiré side.
- Silurian phtanites (3.2 ha - 0.9%) which are mainly found in the northern part.
- going down towards the south, there are rhyolites or microgranites (16.3 ha - 4.9%) and spilites (13.5 ha - 4.1%).
- a few beds and veins of various vein quartz (0.6 ha - 0.2%) and aeolian sands from the Quaternary (28.7 ha and 8.6%) complete this highly complex mosaic.

Superbly elegant in its pale gold robe, Savennières knows how to be both lively and delicate, full-bodied yet refined, and fill the mouth at length with exquisite aromas evoking quince, linden, or honey.

Discover numerous estates within this appellation: the rising star Thibaud Boudignon, Château de Chamboureau, Pierre Bise, Laffourcade...