Clos des Aubuis

In the beginning, there was St Louans… This is the original terroir of Chinon, where the first vines of what would later become the appellation flourished. Château de St Saint Louans is a reference in the appellation and a real treasure. We were fortunate to acquire it at a “candlelight” auction in 2006. After a year of vineyard and trellising restoration, including some old vines planted in 1929, we produced our first cuvée in 2007. Located at the western end of the hillside that delineates the right bank of the Vienne River near Chinon, this vineyard’s situation is extraordinary and its terroir unique. The bedrock is a limestone spur : on the surface, a thin layer of sandy limestone that warms quickly with the first spring sunshine, and underground, an upper Turonian limestone, the “tuffeau jaune de Touraine,” which retains water well. By the time of harvest in early October, the grapes are well-ripened