Chenin Blanc@Château de Fesles 13th October

Series of photos from Chinon-based courtier Charles Sydney.

 Chenin Blanc@Château de Fesles 13th October

Denis Goizel La Montagne, Bonnezeaux

Domaine des Rochelles, Coteaux de l'Aubance

Château Pierre-Bise: Chenin starting to concentrate helped by a ladybird

Château de Targe: Coteaux de Saumur

Château de Targe: Coteaux de Saumur (concentrating)

My thanks to Charles for the excellent photos. Good to see that there may well be some good sweet wines in Anjou-Saumur this year.

Vines in AC Bonnezeaux with Le Moulin de Bonnezaux in the distance

Following the first posting on the weekend BA sent me a new message suggesting that she and her boyfriend might stay at Le Clos des 3 Rois in Thouarcé, the main town of the Bonnezeaux appellation.
 
'Very generous of you and the advice is great, I will follow it closely. staying in Angers sounds like a good plan - although, after reading your post, I had the idea of staying somewhere else that seems to be a short drive to everywhere, but in a village/country (which i like the sound of) - the clos des 3 rois in Thouarcé.'

Le Clos des 3 Rois would be a good choice: nicely renovated building with well appointed chambres d'hôtes in the centre of Thouarcé. The owners offer table d'hôte on several nights of the week. Otherwise there is Le Relais de Bonnezeaux a short distance away towards the village of Bonnezeaux or the traditional Auberge du Cheval Blanc, 3 pl Prieuré 49380 Thouarce (02.41.54.04.40). I haven't eaten at the Relais for a number of years but used to be quite good.

Thouarcé is a good base from which to explore the Layon, l'Aubance and is a relatively short drive to Saumur. In Thouarcé you could go and visit Mark Angeli of La Ferme de la Sansonnière just out of the town on the road to Martigny-Briand. There is also Château de Fesles to visit. Fesles is the most famous domaine of Bonnezeaux. Now owned by Grands Chais de France but the previous owner, Bernard Germain, is still there.

 

Gaston Lenôtre, the famous French pastry chef and one-time owner of Château de Fesles, the leading property of Bonnezeaux, died yesterday (8th January 2009) at his home in the Sologne aged 88.

He was born in Normandy in 1920 and built up a very successful pastry and catering business. Unfortunately his venture into wine was less successful. He bought Fesles in 1991, which coincided with a series of difficult vintages from 1991 – 1994. Although Lenôtre restored Fesles including a visitor centre, he did not realise the risks involved in making top sweet wine and the imperative of waiting to pick at the right moment. The high reputation of Fesles slid and in 1996 Lenotre sold to Bernard Germain, under whose tutelage Fesles’ wines improved dramatically. In 2008 Fesles was bought by Les Grands Chais de France.

For a more detailed obit.