Producer: Damien Bureau

Where?

Born in Anjou, in the hills of Layon, Damien built his winemaking experience there, as well as in Roussillon, Corsica, and the Jura. Strongest in his native land, the grape varieties of his homeland led Damien to settle back in Champ-sur-Layon, between Angers and Cholet. Damien's estate is located in the heart of the Coteaux du Layon appellation, although all his wines are sold as Vin de France wines. "I love this region," Damien confides, "because you can make everything here: light, fruity wines, rich and complex wines, smooth wines, sweet wines..."

Terroir and Soils

Geologically located on the last boundary of the Armorican Massif before the Paris Basin, the two-and-a-half-hectare estate rests on schist terroir. The dominant soils are sand and clay, sand and shale. The climate is oceanic, mild, and humid due to the presence of the Loire River. Rainfall is moderate (550 mm per year on average).

Plots and Grape Varieties

Chenin represents the majority of the grape varieties, i.e., 1.9 hectares across four plots. The estate also includes a plot of Grolleau and Gamay blend (0.35 ha) and a plot of Pineau d'Aunis (0.25 ha). Chenin, Grolleau, and Pineau d'Aunis are three typical grape varieties of the western Loire Valley, perfectly suited to the terroir and which the winemaker enjoys working with.

Triculture Methods

The vines are cultivated organically with as little treatment as possible. The harvest is manual and passes through a vertical press before vatting.

Vinification

The wines are made without any added additives or filtration. All are aged in fiber vats, with the exception of the sweet wines, which are aged in barrels. The reds are made from whole harvests, without crushing or pumping over. Other winemaking details could be discussed, but they vary depending on the vintage and Damien's aspirations.

The Wines

For Damien, "the wine carries the soul of the person who vinified it." Above all, he seeks to produce fruity wines with strong drinkability, but he always composes according to the vintage, which never has the same characteristics from one year to the next. In any case, we can always enjoy its Brutal Pépet cuvée, a natural sparkling wine made from Chenin, very delicious thanks to its fruit and residual sugars.