It could be thanks to the wonderful wine fairs that have taken place recently on the banks of the Loire, but in any case, there were some sparkling results for the region at auction in February. The finest names of Anjou and Saumur made an impression, thrusting their famous Chenin Blanc grape into the spotlight. Indeed, the Loire is big on the whites compared to other regions, and it’s this kind of wine that’s been bringing in the top bids!
In Saumur, the Brézé parcel stretches over 2,000 hectares of land, and certain wine signatures have made quite the contribution to its solid success. Clos Rougeard opened up this path long ago, and its 2015 vintage can now be sold for €258, much like the 2007 which has a value of €248. Romain Guiberteau counts 2.2 hectares of Brézé vines in amongst his 14.5-hectare domain, and these are cultivated just around the eponymous village. A magnum of Guiberteau’s Brézé, this time in the 2008 vintage, went under the hammer for €273 last month. Also in Brézé we find the highly talented Arnaud Lambert, who works across a large surface area of 30 hectares. His bottles tend to go for under €30, making them an unmissable opportunity.
Some seasoned wine collectors have already discovered the gems produced at Domaine du Collier. Covering just 6 hectares of vine land – cultivated by Antoine Foucault and his partner Caroline Boireau – the domain makes both white and red cuvées, in line with the family tradition. Speaking of family, Antoine’s father was the late Charly Foucault, who forged the searing success of Clos Rougeard with his brother Nady. The La Charpentrie cuvée, made using mature Chenin vines, is matured at length for 20 to 30 months, and the 2014 vintage now sells for as much as €112.
Staying in the same part of the Loire, we should highlight a collector’s bottle, one simply labelled as a Vin de France, that continues to be actively sought at auction. This is, of course, the Genèse cuvée from Les Jardins Esméraldins; in February, a Swiss collector won a 2004 vintage for their top bid of €992, whilst a French buyer spent €806 on a bottle of the 2000.
Let’s move along to the banks of the Layon. In these parts, there’s one particular cuvée lighting up the wine world, and it’s Stéphane Bernaudeau’s Les Nourrissons. This wine comes from Chenin vines planted over 100 years ago in the schist-rich terroirs of Aubigné sur Layon. Yet another bottle without an AOC label, this cuvée reigns in our auction rankings; a double-magnum sold directly from the estate’s winery went under the hammer for €2,234 at the end of February.
The above might well be an example of the student surpassing their tutor. Stéphane Bernaudeau was trained by Mark Angeli, a producer whose wine has not gone unnoticed of late. These bottles don’t reach the kind of sums we see for Bernaudeau, but they are more than worthy of your attention nonetheless. Angeli’s 2018 Anjou Les Fouchardes plays with the €100 figure (going for €99 to be exact) ad the 2019 Vin de France La Lune went for €186 in magnum format. Not an estate to be overlooked, that much is sure.
We couldn’t explore the soaring success of the Loire without mentioning an Angevin icon, the exceptional ‘Les Noëls de Montbenault’ by Richard Leroy. From 2.7 hectares of vines in Rablay-sur-Layon, this vin de France cuvée is one of the region’s cult bottles. The 2014 carries a value of €434 whilst the 2010 can reach €397. This signature is prised by collectors in France, the US, and also Hong Kong, with a buyer from the latter placing a winning bid of €248 on Leroy’s 2014 vin de France Les Rouliers.
With these successes in mind, you can request a free estimate for your wines here
And if you’d like to explore all the Loire wines we have on offer, you’ll find a glorious selection here!
