Eric Morgat: Vineyards
Eric Morgat now has approximately 5 hectares of vineyards to his name, of which the Savennières vineyards account for 4 hectares, while the Litus vineyard in Anjou, on the banks of the Layon, accounts for about a hectare.
In rationalising his Savennières vines Eric opted to keep only what he regarded as the most favourable sections, so all his vines are planted on desirable schistose soils rather than the appellation’s more sandy terroirs. Eric is not alone in his high regard for the significance of schist for Savennières; he desires the unique character and minerality that the combination of Chenin Blanc and this terroir brings to the wine. The majority of Eric’s Savennières vineyard is accounted for by the vines around the house and cellars at Clos Ferrand, where there are 2 hectares planted.
Then there is the Clos Serteaux, situated slightly upstream, which gives him another hectare. This is a schistose slope looking directly down onto the waters of the Loire, as well as the Pierre Becherelle, a naturally occurring monolith of schist which sits at the waterside and which was painted by Turner (in a rather fanciful fashion, as he depicted the monolith sitting atop a rocky outcrop – that’s artistic licence for you) when he toured the Loire in 1826. The peak of the monolith can just be seen from the very edge of the Clos Serteaux vineyard (as pictured below, the Loire behind). The remaining Savennières vines are in a handful of other parcels, the most notable of which is in the Roche-aux-Moines vineyard.
