The estate of Château de Villeneuve has been making wine since 1577 and is now run by Jean-Pierre Chevallier, a 4th generation winemaker who used to teach oenology at Bordeaux University before returning to his family’s stunning property. On the plateau overlooking the Loire, the Château de Villeneuve offers stunning views of the river. The magnificent eighteenth century mansion surrounded by 25 acres is built in the stone famous in the region: tufa. The only red grape grown here is Cabernet Franc.
The work of the vineyard is done in a sustainable way: grass growing between the rows with Kentucky bluegrass to maximize rooting and water supply to the vine, preservation of natural enemies (typhlodrome, thrips …) to promote integrated pest management and to limit the use of pesticides.
The Château de Villeneuve Saumur Champigny is a firm, gently earthy red with a concentrated black cherry and black currant aromas. It has an appealing fruity freshness, with flavours of blackcurrants, mulberries, raspberries and even violets. There are some woody notes with good ripe tannins and a long finish. It is best drunk slightly cooler than the majority of red wines to allow those aromas and flavours to show at their best. To retain the natural freshness of the variety it is fermented in stainless steel but the real secret is that it is not filtered, a process that can often remove subtle but important elements of flavour.
Organic Wine Certified by Bureau Veritas.
