Just a weekend – Angers or Saumur or both?

Autumn colours in the Layon (October 2005)

Having looked at your wonderful blog and come across a post titled "Wineries not to be missed" I'm wondering if you could also give me some quick advice. I will also understand if you don't reply as you seem like you would be very busy and I'm also sure you get requests like this very often! I'll try anyway... Basically my boyfriend and I will be flying to Nantes from London and will stay for 3 nights. This means we have 2 full days to explore. Where should we base our selves? And is it possible to cover both Anjou and Samur, with one day for each? Or should we just pick one? I'm not sure how spread out the wineries are and if doing both would mean lots of driving. I'm a big fan of both Loire whites and reds, with the whites taking the lead just a little bit. Ideally I would also like to take in some pretty scenery on this trip. The information is definitely out there, but at the moment I'm so daunted by it! Thank you so much.

Best wishes,

* 

 Hotel du Mail  

I'd be inclined to stay in one hotel for the whole weekend and I think it makes sense to stay in Angers. It's much bigger than Saumur with more going on and it is also closer to Nantes. You could easily spend one day wandering down to Saumur and back.

I would stay in the Hotel du Mail in the centre of Angers. It's a quiet family hotel in an 18th century building. Breakfast only but there are plenty of restaurants a short step away, so this isn't a problem. They will give you advice on where to eat and book a table for you. My favourite places to eat in Angers are Le Relais (02 41 88 42 51 – close to the station and a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel) and Le Petit Comptoir (02 41 88 81 57 – 2 minutes from the hotel). You need to book for both places. There is also Une Île, which has a Michelin star and is very good but more expensive. 

From Angers you are a short drive from Savennières (about 20 mins), the Coteaux de l'Aubance (20 minutes) and about 30 - 40 minutes to the Coteaux du Layon. 

Among the many producers I would recommend are:

L'Aubance
Victor et Vincent Lebreton, Domaine de Montgilet (Juigné-sur-Loire) 
Jean-Yves et Anita Lebreton, Domaine des Rochelles (Saint-Jean des Mauvrets)

Christophe Daviau, Domaine de Bablut (Brissac-Quincé)
Jacques Beaujeau, Château la Varière (Brissac-Quincé)
Didier and Damien Richou, Domaine Richou (Mozé-sur-Louet)


Coteaux du Layon
Vincent Ogereau, Domaine Ogereau (Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay)
Claude Papin, Château Pierre-Bise (Beaulieu-sur-Layon – 02.41.78.31.44)
Philippe Germain, Château de la Roulerie (Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné)
Domaine Cady, (Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné)
Philippe Delesvaux,  Les Essarts, La Haie Longue, 49190 St-Aubin de Luigne
Telephone: 02.41.78.18.71
Florent Baumard, Domaine des Baumard (Rochefort sur Loire)



Saumur to follow tomorrow.

Anjou: four excellent visits

Name plate outside Château Pierre-Bise

Just got back to the Hotel du Mail after a busy day – four excellent visits starting with Claude Papin, then Vincent Ogereau, followed by Domaine des Rochelles – Jean-Yves, Jean-Hubert and Anita Lebreton – and Christophe Daviau to finish. Now off to Le Relais for dinner with Sarah Ahmed (the wine detective), Chris Kissack (the wine doctor), Neil Irvine (HG Wines) and Tom King (RSJ Restaurant).

The four visits provided not only the opportunity to see how the 2008s and some of the 2007s are developing but also raised anumber of very interesting issues including a detailed explanation from Claude Papin about the harmful effects of working the soil, several mentions of the use of osmosis machines in Anjou during the 2008 harvest to convert grapes picked at around 14˚ natural into sweet wines, and the possibility of the Coteaux de l'Aubance banning chaptalisation. Clearly all themes to return to in more detail but if the Coteaux de l'Aubance do have the courage to ban the chaptalisation in the making of sweet wine – then bravo you will have put a stop to an aberration! Hopefully the Coteaux du Layon would rapidly follow your example.

Claude Papin: "Le travail du sol is an aberration"

Similarly the use of osmosis machines, if indeed they have been used and Jim's Loire would be delighted to hear from any Anjou producer who has used them, surely undermines the hard work that a good number of Anjou producers have put into the remarkable renaissance of quality sweet wine in Anjou since 1985.