Château de Villeneuve, 2017 Saumur-Champigny “Le Grand Clos”
Cab Franc du Jour #63
Château de Villeneuve’s history and vineyards can be traced back to 1577, when the estate was known as Bel Air. It was Jean-Marie Berthelot, youngest son of the de Villeneuve family, who gave the estate its current name. In the modern era, the Chevalier family purchased the property in 1967 and began the work of restoring its vineyards and cellar. In 1982, Jean-Pierre Chevalier returned from his studies in Bordeaux and took over running the estate. The domaine’s 28 hectares of vineyards are all located in the commune of Souzay-Champigny.
The Commune of Souzay-Champigny
The Saumur-Champigny AOP encompasses nine historical communes, six of which are dotted along the Loire River and three set back from it. Souzay-Champigny sits close to the Loire but stretches approximately 4.5km to the southwest, giving rise to three distinct viticultural zones within the commune. Closest to the river, vineyards sit on the Turonian tuffeau chalk plateau. Further in, around the hamlet of Champigny, a different type of limestone from the Eocene epoch appears. And in the far southwestern corner of the commune, the Turonian tuffeau reasserts itself.
Even at the level of a single commune, the nuances are considerable. Vineyards closest to the Loire benefit from the river’s moderating influence, which affects both budbreak timing and the pace of ripening, while the different limestone types each have their own distinct properties that leave their mark on the finished wines.
The Lieux-Dits
The Château de Villeneuve vineyards are located very close to the Loire, less than 200m from the river. Today’s wine comes from a specific 3-hectare parcel situated closest to the château, within just 50m of the Loire, where the river’s moderating influence is at its most pronounced. In fact, these parcels consistently ripen around eight days ahead of the rest of the vineyard.
The soils here are on the Turonian tuffeau chalk plateau, specifically the Middle Turonian tuffeau, a micaceous chalk. The topsoil is relatively shallow, reaching the chalk within less than a metre, with a moderately stony silty-clay texture carrying a smaller proportion of sand. The vines average around 50 years of age and the vineyard is certified organic. The estate produces this wine only in the finest vintages.
In the Cellar
The fruit is hand-harvested and fully destemmed before undergoing a cold soak of approximately seven days prior to fermentation. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast in 40hl oak vats, with approximately 28 days on skins and regular pigeage throughout. Maturation follows in a combination of 12hl oak foudres and 600L demi-muids.
Wine Details
Producer: Château de Villeneuve
Appellation: Saumur-Champigny
Commune: Souzay-Champigny
Lieu-Dit: Villeneuve
Soil: Shallow, moderately stony silty-clay topsoil, atop the middle Turonian tuffeau bedrock.
Alcohol: 13.0%