Domaine des Hauts Baigneux Touraine-Azay le Rideau 'Blanc Chenin'

In 2013, longtime friends Nicolas Grosbois and Philippe Mesnier purchased 12 hectares of vines in Azay-le-Rideau, an excellent though relatively unknown terroir located a few kilometers east of Chinon. They immediately began farming all the vines organically, and set about on an ambitious project to reintroduce the wines of Azay-le-Rideau. Traditionally, Azay-le-Rideau is famous for white wines made from Chenin Blanc and rosé wines made from Grolleau and Gamay.

The cuvee Blanc Chenin is a blend of two exceptional Chenin Blanc vineyards from the Azay-le-Rideau area. The base for the wine comes from an exceptional two hectare plot on flint terroir in Sache, close to the former studio of Alexander Calder, the famous American artist. These vines in Sache were planted in the 1950s, and are blended with younger Chenin vines from the lieu-dit Hauts Baigneux to create the complex and powerful Blanc Chenin, a testament to the towering quality of this terroir.