La Table du Pressoir
Le Pressoir, 37220 Panzoult
Tel: +33 (0) 7 75 74 63 20
Internet: www.domaine-grosbois.com
GPS: 47.151832, 0.383578
The Menu:
Terrine de cochon du domaine
Pièce du boeuf ‘Angus’ du domaine, sauce échalote, vin rouge
Fondant chocolat, sauce basilic
The Wine:
Domaine Grosbois Extra Bulles Pétillant Naturel (Vin de France) NV
Domaine Grosbois Chinon Gabare 2022
Maybe it was the baking June heatwave and the memory of that cool and creamy rice pudding. Or maybe I was simply hankering for another glimpse of that view over the vines. Most likely, however, it was my admiration for the farm-to-table ethos, with a dab hand in the kitchen helping shape produce into delicious dishes, which prompted me to return to La Table du Pressoir, the restaurant among the vines at Domaine Grosbois, just a couple of weeks ago.
This time, however, I was better prepared. With an empty stomach. No skipping courses on this visit.
Having settled into a table set back from the vines, and thankful for the shade, I opted for a glass of the non-vintage Extra Bulles which worked well with a little amuse bouche fashioned from the domaine’s home-grown courgettes and aubergines, a perfectly cooling mouthful on another hot day.
My bulles lasted well, and helped me though the next course, a deliciously dense and compact terrine, produced from the Grosbois family’s own drift of pigs, served up with pickled cauliflower and onions, with a dressed salad. This was delightful.
Having found myself in unanticipated raptures about the côtes de boeuf on my last visit, I could not resist opting for the Angus beef again this time. This dish had a lot to live up to, and to be honest it fell a little short; the cut offered was bavette, or flank steak, and it was a little overdone (certainly a long way beyond saignant) and on tasting it there was silence. Whereas with the côte de boeuf a chorus of angels descended from heaven to sing its praises (well, I seem to recall that was what happened). To be frank this, the focus of the dish, was underwhelming.
But not all was lost. The little pommes sautées on the side were delicious, and the shallot-rich sauce a superb hit of flavour, so I still found something to enjoy in the dish. And the 2022 Gabare worked well here, perhaps a better choice than the oak-infused 2022 Montus I plumped for last time. And this was true even if it was served a little too warm (surely this is something a vineyard restaurant should get right before anything else?).
Never being one to shy away from the unusual, I simply could not pass over the chocolate fondant with basil sauce that was offered. Not knowing quite how this would go down, I was delighted to find the chocolate and basil achieved a sense of harmony on the plate. Think about chocolate with mint – it works, the fresh and herby elements lifting the rich chocolate character – and basil, it turns out, gives much the same result, in this case a light and thin herby sauce working well with the dense slice of fondant au chocolat, helped by the textural crunch of a few toasted almonds. Delicious.
Yet again, bavette aside, this was another enjoyable meal here, with good wine and good service. I would like to see a few more by the glass options, because dining here two or three times makes it easy to exhaust what is on offer, and they have a broad range of cuvées and vintages to choose from. Why not cycle the cuvées or vintages offered by the glass a little more? Although, as an alternative solution to this problem, perhaps next time I will take a few guests, and we order a bottle instead. Now, who shall I invite?
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The Menu:
Plat de Côtes de Boeuf ‘Black Angus’
Riz au Lait
The Wine:
Domaine des Hauts Baigneux Spontané Chenin (Vin de France) 2021
Domaine Grosbois Chinon Montet 2022
The Loire Valley is not short on rural eye candy, especially for those who would rather their scenic surroundings feature a vineyard or two. The rows of Chenin, Sauvignon and Cabernet sweep across the gently rolling pastoral landscape of Anjou, the broad valleys of the Loire and Vienne in Touraine, and up and down the many slopes of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. To stop now and again, to admire the view, is de rigueur. But how often have I paused at a suitable spot to drink in the vista, only to find myself hankering for something more tangible at the same time?
A bite to eat, perhaps? Or a glass of Chinon, while I soak up the sights?
Making these unrealised desires take shape are brothers Nicolas and Sylvain Grosbois, at Domaine Grosbois, situated on the clay and limestone slopes on the north side of the Vienne. Having revitalised the domaine they inherited from their father Jacques Grosbois, the brothers have since established a good reputation for their wines, and have almost single-handedly helped to raise the profile of Panzoult, a long-overlooked corner of the Chinon appellation. Currently joining them in this mission is neighbouring Domaine de Beauséjour, which is set to arise phoenix-like following its acquisition by Ivan Massonnat (of Domaine Belargus) in 2021.
The Grosbois brothers have taken things one step further though. Having completed a move into organics and biodynamics some years ago, the fearless frères have since moved into polyculture, a reversal of the direction of travel taken a century ago, a time when many Ligérian domaines were developing in the opposite manner, leaving behind their polycultural roots to focus purely on the vine.
The first to arrive on the domaine were the cows. After an experiment tending the classic French Limousin breed, the brothers eventually settled on Black Angus cattle, which have now been present on the estate since 2020. Longué pigs arrived in 2021, and the most recent project was the planting of an extensive vegetable garden, the produce sold locally, or finding its way in the kitchens of the local school.
With all this fresh produce on tap, and the most wonderful vista across the valley of the Vienne, the establishment of a restaurant on the domaine – La Table du Pressoir – was perhaps inevitable. The doors were opened for the first time in 2024, with chef Théo Lehrouche at work in the kitchen.
I took a seat at one of this open-air and seasonal (May to September) restaurant’s tables on one baking day in June 2025, making sure I had a good view across the valley, not to mention a little shade, not difficult as there is plenty of overhead canopy to keep the sun off your head.
Looking for a relatively light lunch, after a glass of the 2021 Spontané Chenin from Domaine des Hauts Baigneux in Azay-le-Rideau, a domaine Nicolas Grosbois acquired with long-term friend Philippe Mesnier in 2013, I swerved the starters and dived straight in for a main course of Plat de Côtes de Boeuf from the farm’s Black Angus cattle, which was cooked long and slow, at a low temperature, and then finished with a quick flash in the pan, adding texture.
At first glance the meat on the plate seemed uninspiring, as it looked a little granular, but appearances can be deceptive, as this was a simply gorgeous piece of beef, the outer surface lightly crisped and bursting with Maillard intensity, while at its centre it oozed with a succulent, melt-in-the-mouth texture. A side-helping of vegetables and potatoes were also perfectly cooked. Well, the vegetables were, anyway; the promised potatoes, however, seemed notable only by their absence.
There are a decent number of by-the-glass options on the list here, from both the Grosbois and Hauts Baigneux vineyards, although just a couple of the former domaine’s more serious cuvées are offered in this format (if drinking by the bottle, you have a much broader choice of vintages and cuvées, for sure). Sitting on the Grosbois property, I rather predictably chose one of the domaine’s wines, the 2022 Montet, which was a natural match with the domaine’s beef.
Looking for anything cool and refreshing on a hot day, I followed up with the riz au lait. I can’t remember the last time I ate rice pudding, let alone ordered one in a restaurant, but if the dish served here is anything to judge by I have been missing out. Supremely cold, ideal for such a hot and dry day, dense and creamy, and topped with salted caramel sauce and toasted almonds, this was delicious; displaying serious restraint I took this in one tiny teaspoon at a time, in order to best enjoy its refreshing coolness and soul-enriching density for as long as possible.
Only a few words are required to sum up this lunchtime visit to La Table du Pressoir. A warm and welcoming venue (very warm on this day I suppose – the 2025 vintage is surely going to go down as one of the warmest in the Loire Valley), a wonderful view, superb food which exceeded all expectations, a broad selection of the domaine’s wines, and great value for money. This will surely not be my last visit to the Grosbois family’s table.
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