Château du Petit Thouars: Yves du Petit Thouars
There were vines on the estate in 1900, evidence for which includes a ledger (pictured) documenting the culture and sale of wines made from Breton (more commonly known today as Cabernet Franc) and other less commonly encountered varieties in the 1900 vintage. Nevertheless, during the course of the 20th century viticulture faded until there were no longer any vines here. It may be that the refusal of the vignerons of Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne to join the new Chinon appellation, ultimately resigning them to the more generic and much less prestigious Touraine appellation, was significant in this decline, although I am certain that the onslaught of phylloxera the previous century also had a large part to play.
It was in this environment that Yves, Comte du Petit Thouars, and his wife Marguerite discovered in the family archives evidence of the long-lost vineyards. He decided in the late 1970s to re-establish the vineyard, but he had no planting rights. His solution to this hurdle was a simple one; he just planted the vines anyway, the consequence of which was a telling-off from the préfet, and a fine of just 300 francs. Yves’ pragmatic approach was perhaps a reflection of his chosen career, as an engineer. He tended to think of wine as a crop like any other, and to ensure he had someone to look after the vines he chose to send his gardener to wine school. It was a seemingly casual approach which is a far cry from the more dedicated approach in evidence here today.
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