REGION: Loire

Domaine de L’Enchantoir, run by the dynamic Brunet family, sits on a remarkable site of largely ancient limestone that was recognized by the creation of the appellation “Saumur Puy de Notre Dame”. The domaine has worked organically since 2010, making balanced and textured Chenin and Cabernet Franc.

“Using the same farming [organic] practices that created his reputation in Montlouis, [Jacky] has created a host of dramatic wines that have helped add new life to the reputation of the appellation [Bougueil]. These are without any doubt among the finest Bourgueils being produced today.” -Vinous

Domaine de la Géraudrie is a 5th generation, family-owned Muscadet estate in the village of Château-Thébaud. One of their flagships is the Clos de la Géraudrie, a top vineyard in the region, sitting on that famed solid granite that gives the wine its distinct crunchy and mouthwatering minerality.

“Jacky Blot is a revolutionary figure in Montlouis. His wines at Domaine de la Taille aux Loups have become a benchmark for dry Chenin. Committed to organic growing, Blot set out to make among the first single site Chenin. Over three decades, Jacky Blot has helped put Montlouis on the map.” - Vinous

Philippe Foreau is the third generation of the Foreau family to produce Vouvray from this fabled domaine which his grandfather purchased in 1923. Philippe assumed the direction in 1983 upon his father André's retirement. Today, the domaine consists of 11.5 hectares planted to Chenin Blanc.

Gilles Crochet's grandfather Lucien Picard was one of the pioneers to bottle Sancerre in the region and sell them in Paris in the early 1950s. Today, the vineyards of Domaine Lucien Crochet cover 35 hectares, with soils that overlie calcareous clay rock and an Oxfordian or Kimmeridgian subsoil.

The village of Quincy is located 50 miles west of Sancerre on the left bank of the Cher river. This lovely Loire region is known as an excellent source of crisp, mineral-driven Sauvignon Blanc. The Mardon family (making wine since the 1800s) produce the best and most complex Quincy available.

Pierre Alliet is owner-winemaker of this small domaine in Cravant-les-Côteaux. Considered by many to be one of the finest producers in Chinon, Pierre is part of a new generation of Loire growers dedicated to sustainable farming, and minimal intervention to make elegant and age-able Cabernet Franc.

Pierre Martin is the owner-winemaker of this traditional Sancerre domaine, located in the grand terroir of Chavignol. After working alongside his father, Yves, he started his own domaine from 4 ha of sustainably farmed top sites. Pierre’s wines are all balanced expressions of this hallowed terroir.

The Roger family’s roots in Bué, considered one of the finest villages in Sancerre, go back to the early 18th century. Today Dominique Roger, and his wife Dany, run this sustainably farmed, minimal intervention domaine, consistently making laser-pure expressions of their silex-laden Bué terroir.