Domaine de la Noblaie
Although today Domaine de la Noblaie is home to Jérôme Billard, one of the youngest and most forward-thinking vignerons in Chinon, this is a domaine that hints tentatively at having a long and illustrious history. Located only a kilometre or two from Chinon, albeit on the other side of the river, the cellars at Noblaie date back hundreds of years, quite likely five centuries, perhaps as many as eight. There are also suggestions that the Knights Templar may once have been involved in the running of the domaine, as evidenced by the name of the nearby lieu-dit, Les Blancs Manteaux; this religious military order were noted for their white capes (mantles, or manteaux). The idea is not as far-fetched as it might sound; the order certainly had a presence in the region, and indeed a large number of them were incarcerated in the Château de Chinon for several years, prior to their execution in Paris.
Even if we were to discount this tale, there is no denying the age of the Noblaie cellars, nor the existence of the lieu-dit La Noblaie on the Cassini map of France, on a section published in 1765. Nevertheless, there is no grand history of winemaking from this time, although there were surely vines planted here. Indeed, in the early part of the 20th century, after the devastation of phylloxera, the vineyards lay abandoned and overgrown. It took an outsider to recognise the domaine’s potential, and to breathe new life into it. That outsider was Pierre Manzagol.
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