CHATEAU DU HUREAU
Saumur-Champigny, France
Philippe Vatan, now accompanied by his daughter Agathe, oversees this domaine of 20 hectares from a fairytale chateau on the banks of the Loire. Set into the chalk cliffs, which also house the cellars, the chateau is a fitting symbol of the winery’s excellence, achieved over 25 years of incremental improvement. Philippe has gradually moved the domaine to organic farming. Initially skeptical, he became convinced that organic practices brought a new level of nervosity and freshness to the wines.
The vineyards include some of the best terroirs of the appellation (‘La Corde’, ‘les Fevettes’, ‘Fiefs Garniers’, ‘les Gruches’). It is of course the ‘tuffeau’ (limestone/tufa – a cretaceaous chalk) which distinguishes the terroir. The vines receive the most meticulous care: short pruning, grass grown between the rows, plowing of the rows, bud-thinning in spring and bunch-thinning in summer, 75% hand-picked, with selection both at the vine and on a sorting table.
Wines
Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny Tuffe
Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny Four A Chaux
Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny Lisagathe
Chateau du Hureau Saumur Foudre
Press
Hureau Tuffe 12 Reds from the Loire valley (David Williams-Life and Style -The Guardian)