Terre de l’Élu, 2023 Update
It was in 2008 that Thomas and Charlotte Carsin planted their flag on the outskirts of Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné. An agricultural engineer by trade, Thomas had put in time in California, Champagne and Provence before he finally decided to put down roots on the banks of the Layon. It was six years after this that I first met Thomas and Charlotte, and I have kept tabs on the domaine’s progress ever since.
To say that things have changed since those early days might be something of an understatement. A conversion to organic methods came first, started in 2010, the domaine certified (by ECOCERT) after the requisite three-year period, in 2013. But the range and style of wines also changed, shifting away from the usual rather predictable Anjou portfolio to a more distinctive style. Initially Thomas and Charlotte did this while working within their local appellations, principally Anjou and Anjou-Villages (Thomas did make a little sweet wine, but his Coteaux du Layon was never a prominent part of the gamme), but as time passed they became increasingly frustrated with the quality standards and demands made by these appellations.
This came to a head in 2018 when Thomas and Charlotte took all his wines out of their respective appellations, shifting to Vin de France instead. This made it difficult for him to continue with the domaine’s original name, Clos de l’Élu (the word clos is reserved for appellation wines, and even then only if it can be justified), and thus Terre de l’Élu was born.
This move has obviously given Thomas a new sense of freedom, as today the range of wines made here is more eclectic than ever. We have a rosé made from a blend of red and white varieties (small volumes in the frosted 2021 vintage mean he is not the only vigneron to travel down this road) and an orange wine made with nine months of skin contact, as well as cuvées featuring Grolleau Gris, Pineau d’Aunis and more besides. I tasted my way through the current array of offerings from Thomas and Charlotte when we met up, in Angers, in February 2023.
