DOMAINE LAFFOURCADE

Loire, France

"The prestigious and tiny appellation of Quarts de Chaume, a diminutive AOC in the heart of the Loire Valley’s Chenin Blanc territory, has been associated with the name Laffourcade for the past five decades. Devoted entirely to the production of sweet wine, Quarts de Chaume, which comprises terroirs on both banks of the Layon River, sits on approximately 43 hectares of land, 19 of which, came to André Laffourcade in 1958. In 1970, Pascal Laffourcade launched an ambitious project. Already a mainstay in the tiny and prestigious appellation of Quarts de Chaume, he decided to create wines from the two other most sought-after Chenin crus of the Anjou region: Bonnezeaux and Savennières. Laffourcade acquired his Bonnezeaux property, Chateau Perray Jouannet shortly thereafter and added the eponymous Savennières vignoble in 1988.

Vignobles Laffourcade, the final prong of the Laffourcade triumvirate, is seated right on the banks of the Loire River, and almost at the city limit of Angers. This property is the largest of the three, encompassing close to 100 hectares under vine. Clos de la Royauté, Pascale’s single vineyard Savennières site, comprises only 5 of these hectares.

Soils of brown schist and Aoelian sand imbue the Laffourcade Savennières with their expressively bodied texture and rich, medium-dry mouthfeel. Grapes are entirely hand harvested from 20 year old vines. Grapes for the entry-level cuvee undergo a pellicular maceration for 6-8 hours before pressing, and then ferment in fiberglass utilizing only ambient yeast. Wines do not go through malolactic fermentation.

Clos de la Royauté is fermented and aged in oak barrique, 20% of which is new. Lees-stirring happens once a week during the five month fermentation period. Wines are bottled before the summer for optimal freshness."

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