Château du Cléray & Maison Sauvion
The region around Nantes is rich in history. Up until the 10th century it was part of the kingdom of Brittany, after which it was granted to Foulques le Roux (c.870 – 942), a powerful Count of Anjou. There followed many years of incursions and occupation by the Vikings of all people, after which came several centuries where control of the region passed with some regularity between the rulers of Brittany and the French crown. It was not until the marriage of Anne de Bretagne (1477 – 1514) to Charles VIII (1470 – 1498) in 1491 that peace eventually settled upon the region.
Château du Cléray is one of only a few domaines in Muscadet where the history stretches back this far (probably not to the time of the Vikings, but at least to Anne de Bretagne), the evidence for this being an imposing residence which stood here during the 16th century. At this time the estate was the property of Anne Le Beveurs, who bequeathed it to her nephew, Louis de la Fontaine, in 1570. Despite this very little is known about life at the château during the years that followed, and it was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that we have a better view of the owners and their vines.
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