Les Vignes du Fresche ‘Plumy’ Sparkling Blanc 2022
Location: France, Anjou
Winemaker: Marc Houtin, Daniel Craker
Grapes: 50% Chenin Blanc, 50% Chardonnay (Plumy comes from two tiny plots of old Chardonnay vines, planted in the 1970s, and from an equally old plot of Chenin blanc vines, La Roche évière.)
Winemaking: Organic farming. Hand picked. Grapes were pressed, racked and fermented in tank before being blended with the Chenin, harvested 2 weeks later to finish their fermentation together and make a base wine. At the end of September, some of Chenin juice is used as the liqueur de tirage for the second fermentation in bottle. The wine remained on its lees in our cellar for 14 months before it was disgorged in December 2023. No dosage.
From the Importer Steven Graf: In 2022 Marc Houtin, geologist and partner at La Grange aux Belles, and Daniel Craker, former cellarmaster, and importer in Bordeaux joined together to start Les Vignes du Fresche. Their intention is to make wines that reflect the vintage and their land, on the hills of the Coteaux de la Loire in Anjou. They farm 27 hectares of vines, all situated on a plateau 93m above sea level, south of the Loire river, on sandy clay soils on a bedrock of black schist typical of the Anjou noir. The vines have been farmed organically since 2000. Marc and Daniel are committed to working sustainably and improving the estate.
After their first harvest, they planted over a hundred trees amongst the vineyards to provide diversity and protection for the vines. They have also reduced grubbed up some tired vines, to leave grassland for the introduction of horses and sheep to the estate. They will use horses to work in Clos le Grand Bézillé, and sheep to maintain the grass during the winter months and in early spring. They also work sustainably in their small winery: they collect rainwater and have plans to build a more energy efficient winery with solar panels to cover their daily energy needs outside harvest time. They bottle using extra-light glass. The wines are clean and juicy, fermented with natural yeasts and no additives apart from a touch of sulphur to ensure the wine remain stable.
Location: France, Anjou
Winemaker: Marc Houtin, Daniel Craker
Grapes: 50% Chenin Blanc, 50% Chardonnay (Plumy comes from two tiny plots of old Chardonnay vines, planted in the 1970s, and from an equally old plot of Chenin blanc vines, La Roche évière.)
Winemaking: Organic farming. Hand picked. Grapes were pressed, racked and fermented in tank before being blended with the Chenin, harvested 2 weeks later to finish their fermentation together and make a base wine. At the end of September, some of Chenin juice is used as the liqueur de tirage for the second fermentation in bottle. The wine remained on its lees in our cellar for 14 months before it was disgorged in December 2023. No dosage.
From the Importer Steven Graf: In 2022 Marc Houtin, geologist and partner at La Grange aux Belles, and Daniel Craker, former cellarmaster, and importer in Bordeaux joined together to start Les Vignes du Fresche. Their intention is to make wines that reflect the vintage and their land, on the hills of the Coteaux de la Loire in Anjou. They farm 27 hectares of vines, all situated on a plateau 93m above sea level, south of the Loire river, on sandy clay soils on a bedrock of black schist typical of the Anjou noir. The vines have been farmed organically since 2000. Marc and Daniel are committed to working sustainably and improving the estate.
After their first harvest, they planted over a hundred trees amongst the vineyards to provide diversity and protection for the vines. They have also reduced grubbed up some tired vines, to leave grassland for the introduction of horses and sheep to the estate. They will use horses to work in Clos le Grand Bézillé, and sheep to maintain the grass during the winter months and in early spring. They also work sustainably in their small winery: they collect rainwater and have plans to build a more energy efficient winery with solar panels to cover their daily energy needs outside harvest time. They bottle using extra-light glass. The wines are clean and juicy, fermented with natural yeasts and no additives apart from a touch of sulphur to ensure the wine remain stable.
Location: France, Anjou
Winemaker: Marc Houtin, Daniel Craker
Grapes: 50% Chenin Blanc, 50% Chardonnay (Plumy comes from two tiny plots of old Chardonnay vines, planted in the 1970s, and from an equally old plot of Chenin blanc vines, La Roche évière.)
Winemaking: Organic farming. Hand picked. Grapes were pressed, racked and fermented in tank before being blended with the Chenin, harvested 2 weeks later to finish their fermentation together and make a base wine. At the end of September, some of Chenin juice is used as the liqueur de tirage for the second fermentation in bottle. The wine remained on its lees in our cellar for 14 months before it was disgorged in December 2023. No dosage.
From the Importer Steven Graf: In 2022 Marc Houtin, geologist and partner at La Grange aux Belles, and Daniel Craker, former cellarmaster, and importer in Bordeaux joined together to start Les Vignes du Fresche. Their intention is to make wines that reflect the vintage and their land, on the hills of the Coteaux de la Loire in Anjou. They farm 27 hectares of vines, all situated on a plateau 93m above sea level, south of the Loire river, on sandy clay soils on a bedrock of black schist typical of the Anjou noir. The vines have been farmed organically since 2000. Marc and Daniel are committed to working sustainably and improving the estate.
After their first harvest, they planted over a hundred trees amongst the vineyards to provide diversity and protection for the vines. They have also reduced grubbed up some tired vines, to leave grassland for the introduction of horses and sheep to the estate. They will use horses to work in Clos le Grand Bézillé, and sheep to maintain the grass during the winter months and in early spring. They also work sustainably in their small winery: they collect rainwater and have plans to build a more energy efficient winery with solar panels to cover their daily energy needs outside harvest time. They bottle using extra-light glass. The wines are clean and juicy, fermented with natural yeasts and no additives apart from a touch of sulphur to ensure the wine remain stable.