Le Clos de la Meslerie: Vineyards
Le Clos de la Meslerie enjoys an excellent elevated position on a section of the Vouvray plateau. To the south-east the land falls away quickly, down to the valley of the Brenne, while to the north-east and south-west run two valleys, the Vallée de Cousse and the Vallée de Vaugondy respectively. With low-lying land on three sides this is effectively a promontory or headland jutting out towards the Brenne, at the very edge of which sits the château and vineyard, and it is only to the north-west that it remains connected to the full extent of Vouvray’s plateau. Nevertheless, even when standing in the vineyard, this feature of the local topography can be difficult to appreciate as the land slopes quite gently into the valleys that flank the domaine, and the view is often obscured by trees.
The heart of the domaine is the château and cellars, which sit slightly set back from the road which runs past the domaine and down to the valley of the Brenne. The vineyard is divided up into several parcels, the most highly prized of which is the east parcel (pictured), which sits on the land to the as east of the château (obviously) as it begins to slope down to the trees at the foot of the vineyard, and the valley beyond. There is another parcel of comparable size to the south of the château, and a slightly larger parcel to the west. The north parcel is considerably larger than these other parcels, and sits on the opposite side of the road. As the land continues to rise slightly towards the plateau-proper the west parcel, as well as the western end of the north parcel, sit at a slightly higher altitude than the others. This higher section of the north parcel is where the oldest vines are planted. Finally there is one small parcel directly in front of the château. The soils across the five parcels are fairly homogenous, being superficially rich in flint, with deeper Turonian limestone.
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