Domaine aux Moines
Savennières is not a huge appellation, the area available for viticulture as defined by appellation regulations being in the order of 300 hectares, although perhaps only half of that is currently planted to vines. Even within this relatively small appellation two highly-prized crus have long been recognised, these being the Roche-aux-Moines and the Clos de la Coulée de Serrant. These crus lie at the heart of the appellation, the vines cascading down slopes of schist within the little valleys (or coulées as they are known) that run down to the Loire. The vines are bathed daily in the cool Ligérian light, the wines they produce some of the most remarkable in the entire Loire Valley. Their fame is such that both were eventually, in the early 21st century, awarded appellations of their own.
The larger of these two ‘inner’ appellations is Savennières Roche-aux-Moines, which accounts for perhaps 35 of the 300 hectares. This is smaller than many individual grand cru classé estates in Bordeaux, and yet within these 35 hectares – not all of which are planted up – there are maybe a dozen vignerons each tending their own plot of vines, some of which are miniscule (in some cases too small to warrant a cuvée of their own, the wine blended into a broader Savennières cuvée). But not all, as one or two holdings within this highly prized appellation are quite large. The largest belongs to the aptly named Domaine aux Moines, today one of the appellation’s leading estates, and home to Tessa Laroche.
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