Respect for the terroir
- THE ELEMENTS OF THE TERROIR
- The Loir and its tributaries cut their beds in tufa limestone, which is a geological sub soil laid down by previously deposited marine organisms.
Successive land modifications have provided us a range of 16 parcels which allow the two varieties chosen by the Cistercian monks - Chenin and Pineau d’Aunis - to show off to their best advantage. The omnipresent flinty clays are sometimes heavy and shelter the best terroirs for red wine.
Sometimes closer to the parent rock, the tufa when mixed with micaceous sands whose origins date in part back to the secondary era, allow the Chenin to express finesse, elegance and aromatic richness.
- VINIFICATION AND AGEING
White wines are made and matured totally in 1-3 year old barrels. The parcels are separated. The Chenin grape is the exclusive grape variety for white wines. White wines are aged in barrels on their lees until bottling in September (sometimes up to 18 months when the potential of the vintage is high).
Rosé wines are produced entirely from Pineau d'Aunis grapes (pepper, spice) with sometimes a touch of Grolleau grapes. The vinification is in barrel in low temperature cellars. The wines are often made with grapes dried by over-maturation (passerillage). Thanks to our perseverance, sweet and liquoreux wines are now part of the permitted criteria for the appellation Coteaux du Loir.
Red wine vinification takes place in open vats which allow the cap of marc to be pushed back down into the fermenting must. Our efforts are designed to seek out all the subtlety and aromatic finesse of the Pineau d’Aunis grape. The reds, aged until September in barrels, are racked after undergoing malo-lactic fermentation and bottled unfiltered.
Domaine de Bellivière, Eric Nicolas, 72340 LHOMME
Tel: +33 (0)2 43 44 59 97 Fax: +33 (0)2 43 79 18 33 - E-mail:
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