• France
• Loire Valley
• Saumur

One of the last remaining family-owned sparkling wine houses in Saumur, Louis de Grenelle, owns about 2 kilometers of these caves. All of the sparkling wine produced by the property is stored in deep, cool caverns, many of which were used during World War II by the French resistance. The grapes used to produce the sparkling Saumur and Cremant at Grenelle are grown on the hillsides surrounding the town and in the small hamlets just outside of Saumur. At the heart of the vineyards, from where they source their grapes, is La Durandiere, a 40 hectare estate Francoise Flao owns with her brother Antoine Bodet. Growing their own grapes gives Francoise and Antoine unique insight into the varieties or the region, the terroir, and the importance of sustainable and organic farming. They use this knowledge to ensure that the grapes they purchase from their neighbors are a good as the grapes they grow themselves. For their range of sparkling wines they rely on two varieties: Chenin Blanc & Chardonnay. They consider Chenin Blanc the “great grape variety” of their region. It provides structure, freshness and fruit to the wines of Louis de Grenelle. Chardonnay provides minerality and finesse to the final blend. The winemaking at Louis de Grenelle is quite minimalist, the fruit is pressed and flows by gravity into underground tanks at the winery. All of the wines are made in the Champagne method and are aged for their allotted time in the cellars beneath the streets of Saumur. They are bottled with little dosage to preserve the freshness of the Chenin Blanc Chardonnay varieties.