Domaine des Huards, 2023 Update
Where would I go if I had a few hours to kill in the Cheverny region? I could come up with a shortlist of vignerons and domaines to visit in the blink of an eye, but I suspect right at the very top of said list would be Michel Gendrier, of Domaine des Huards.
This has to be one of the longest established domaines in the Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny appellations, dating back to Pierre Gendrier in 1846. At this time it was a polycultural domaine, the norm along the length and breadth of the Loire during the 19th century. It was not until several generations later, in 1922, that the first vines were planted by a descendant of Pierre, Raoul Gendrier.
Today the domaine is run by the sixth generation of the Gendrier family, the aforementioned Michel. It tops my list of “ways to kill an afternoon in Cheverny” because it is a source not just of top-notch Romorantin in the Cour-Cheverny appellation, one of the Loire Valley’s secret viticultural weapons, but also an array of interesting cuvées of Cheverny, in both red and white (but particularly the former).
While Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny will never have the broad appeal enjoyed by Vouvray or Chinon, in truth I try not to miss any opportunity to revisit the wines, here and at a select handful of other domaines. For this reason I was glad to be able to reconnect with Michel Gendrier in 2022, and to taste a selection of the most recent releases from Domaine des Huards.
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