Domaine de la Garrelière: Vineyards
From a pre-phylloxera vineyard that covered approximately 60 hectares, the vines at Domaine de la Garrelière disappeared, only to reappear and to grow once again under the direction of Pierre and then François Plouzeau. The vineyard today covers just 16 hectares of the Touraine appellation. Behind the estate, to the north and east, is the Bois de Saint-Gilles, one of many vestiges of a great forest that once covered this land. To the south is a very minor tributary of the Loire, the Veude, which runs roughly from south-east to north-west at this point. Otherwise, all around the estate is flat agricultural land, covered with wheat and corn. It is only around the domaine itself, closely gathered around the Plouzeau home, that you find any vineyards.
There is a slight dominance of white varieties, with approximately 6 hectares planted to Sauvignon Blanc and 3 hectares to Chenin Blanc. The lead red variety is Cabernet Franc, of which there are 5 hectares, while a further 3 hectares is planted to Gamay and also Chardonnay, neither of which are strangers to the region although the former is certainly better-known than the latter.
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