Guide
to the Loire regions
Val du
Loir
Producer
profiles - Jasnières and Coteaux du
Loir
Notes
on some other growers
Retired,
Part Time and ‘Private’ Vignerons
Jean-Michel
Aubert
Domaine Aubert Chappelle
La Roche
Marçon
T/F : + 33 2 43 79 17 82
P : + 33 6
60 56 17 50
domaineaubertlachappelle@wanadoo.fr
www.aubert-la-chappelle.com
The ex-husband of Bénédicte de Rycke. The couple divorced in 1997 and
split the domaine.
He moved to Marçon
and established Domaine Aubert Chapelle, buying the Roche Bleue cellar
from Roger Crosnier (see below). He has since sold cellar to Sebastian
Cornille. Prior to moving to the region in the mid 1980s, Aubert worked at
the cave co-operative in
Chambord
. He has now taken up a position with La
Gourmandière, a co-operative close to Chenonceaux, and effectively
has stopped making wine in the region in 2006. Most of his own 12 hectares
of vineyards have either now been rented out or sold to Christian
Chaussard. He still lives in Marçon.
Roger
Crosnier
Marçon
Crosnier, apart from making wine at the old cave at Le Roche Bleue, also
ran the government owned tabac in
the village. He grubbed his vines and sold off his cellar to Jean-Michel
Aubert in 1997 after Aubert and de Rycke separated. He
died in 2007.
Thierry
Honnons
Tuffeau Mont Veillon
Poncé-sur-le-Loir
A
computer expert based in Paris
(which is where he made his money) and an amateur vigneron. He is the ex
brother-in-law of Philippe Sevault with whom he was in partnership until
2001. After he divorced Catherine he started selling off his ten hectares
of vineyards to the likes of Eric Nicolas, who relieved Honnons of four
hectares in Marçon, a quarter hectare of old vines in Jasnières and a
further one hectare of land in Ruillé-sur-Loir. He is now married to Bénédicte
de Rycke and together they have just acquired a second domaine in the
south of France
.
Abel
Gentil
Marçon
Sold his
vineyards to Thierry Honnons in the early 1990s, while his son ran the
successful Restaurant du Caveau du Marcellière situated in a cave in the
commune.
Nicolas
Renard
Marçon
Renard was active in the region for one or two years between 1995 and
1996. He rented vines from Michel Boulay who took them back under his
control after one vintage. Apparently he worked for Clos Naudin for a
while as well as for Lemaire-Fournier, both in Vouvray.
Thierry
Leloup
La Chartre-sur-le-Loir
Leloup is an
ex-military man who won the lotto and retired young, blowing his fortune
on buying lots of vineyards through the region. He was, however, allegedly
ill advised and ended up with vines that were degenerate and for which he
paid too much. He went bankrupt.
Claude Branjonneau
Lhomme
A full time tonnellière
since 1935 and part time winemaker. His barrel making tools can be
seen in the wine museum in Lhomme. He retired in 1990 and died in 2006
Jean-Baptiste Pinon
Les
Caves
aux Tuffières
Lhomme
In 1979, Robin Yapp wrote of Pinon: ‘A young, dynamic grower who made
the decision to invest his skill, energy and slender financial resources
into the future of Jasnières’. He worked 4.5 hectares of vines in the
Jasnières which he had either bought or owned from M. Langois, owner of
the Chateau la Tuffières. The cellars were in caves at the rear of the
property and directly underneath the vines. Prior to this he had been
producing rosé at nearby Montoire-sur-le-Loir in the Coteaux du Vendômois.
He became the reference point for the appellation in the late 1980s making
‘natural wine’, although it his said by his peers that he was better
in the cellar than in his vines. Apparently a depressive and unmarried, he
had some issues with the rest of his family. He sold 1.5 hectares in Le
Clos des Tuffières to Eric Nicolas in the mid 1990s when he retired
due to alcohol related problems. He is now in his early 60s and lives in
Fosse, close to Montoire. His old cave, which had remained unused between
1995 and 2006, is now under the ownership of Ludovic Bidoult.

1989 Jasnières
Polished
appearance. Deep, yellow/gold. Some aromas of toffee, caramel and grilled
almonds on the nose. Attractive, delicate and complex. There is still some
good firm, fresh acidity on the palate and flavours of toffee and white
truffle. It is still clean and fresh, but there is the impression this is
just beginning to dry out. Drink now and over the next few years. It
won’t make old bones. (12/08) The bottle was bought from Robin Yapp in
1990.
1976
Jasnières
Mature appearance.
Mid depth with distinct gold hints. Unfortunately a bit of TCA spoils this
bottle, but below there is a lovely delicate Chenin nose. Delicate on
entry with a good thread of minerality. Good freshness and still quite
lean with a taut structure. There are faint flavours of marzipan. Very
gentle and soft. This would hold, if not improve. (04/09)
Jean-Bernard Métais
Courdemanche
www.jpmetais.com
Metais was
born in
Le Mans
in 1954. The family owns a property in the village
of Coudemanche
just north of the Jasnières vineyards. He has been making wines for
friends and family for the past thirty years and he remembers his father
and grandfather opening bottles in the old cellars here. He ‘took
charge’ of the family winery in the early 1980s, but in reality his day
job is one of designer and sculptor, his commissions and permanent
exhibitions can be seen world wide, including Cardiff and hopefully soon
in London.
Gérard
Guede
Le Haut Perray
Chahaignes
T: + 33 2 43 44
46 98
Guede makes
Coteaux du Loir red, white and Rose which he sells primarily in cubitainer.
Gaston
Cartereau
Bordebeurre
Lhomme
T: + 33 2 43 44 48 66
Gaston
Cartereau is now well into his 80s, yet still making wines in Jasnières
and Coteaux du Loir. He started bottling his own wine in 1981 and was,
until around 2001 still raising his wines in old chestnut barrels. His
son, Claude and daughter-in-law Danielle (see
separate entry) bought their own farm in 2001 and have since been
supplying Gaston with juice which is transferred down the hill to the old
cave at Bordebeurre, where has since adopted fibre-glass tanks. His wines
can be found at Le Jasnières, the bar in the main square in La Chartre,
where it is also possible to track down some of his older vintages.
Martial
Boutard
La Varenne
Lhomme
T: + 33 2 43 44 43 63
‘The big
voice of Jasnieres’. This is ex lorry driver started the successful foire
á vin in Lhomme and has an old and loyal following. He has more
recently sold off most of his vines to Pascal Janvier and Eric Nicolas
also rents one hectare from him. His cellar can be found in a cave just to
the east of Le Clos des Jasnières.
He sold wines from both the Coteaux du Loir and Jasnières.
Monique
Ernoult
L’Yvonnière
Ruillé-sur-Loir
T: + 33 2 43 79
06 81
Monique
Ernoult is single handed lady vigneronne
in her late 50s who works 1.3 hectares of Jasnières in a cave just
above that of Martial Boutard. She first made wine here in 1998.
Michel
Chevalier
Montabon
Chevalier is
a fruit grower who sells his apples and pears alongside his wines on the
local markets. Coteaux du Loir wines only.
Les
Beduaux
1 rue du l’Esperance
La Chapelle-Gaugain
T: + 33 2 43 35 73 82
My research tells me this is a Belgian doctor, making
wines in an old wine making village that is no longer included in the 22
communes that make up the Coteaux du Loir appellation.
Dominique Raveneau
7 Chemin Bois Blandin
Marçon
T: + 33 2 43 79 45 77
Apparently makes both Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir.
Jean-Luc
Lhermitte
Vaubertain
Lhomme
Lhermitte works for a bottling company in Vouvray and he
tends his father’s parcel of vines in Lhomme on a part-time basis. He
makes wines mainly for pleasure and family consumption.
Régis
Bréton
1 Rue Percheron
La Chartre-sur-le-Loir
P: + 33 6 22 03 00 24
The winemaker of Michel Boulay, currently looking to
acquire vines himself and has set up shop in the cellar of Thierry Leloup.
Claude
Cochonneau
La Péraudière
Marçon
T : + 33 2 43 44 36 78
The mayor of Marçon. He has a parcel of vines in the
commune.
Gie
La Jable d’Or
A worthy
initiative started in 1988 by Raynald Lelais and saw a number of growers (Lelais,
Maillet, Jean-Marc Raimbault, Crosnier, Fresneau, Bouin, Chevalier and
Renaud) involved. The idea was to create a generic Jasnieres label with
growers submitting wine for bottling under a single label. They worked out
of an address in Château-du-Loir. The initiative was undermined by the
excellent quality of the 1989 and 1990 vintages when growers had no
problem in finding a market and the project fell apart in the early 1990s.
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