Description

La Folie 2023 is crafted from Cabernet Franc sourced from seven distinct plots, each rooted in clay-limestone soils over “Pierre de Champigny” (lake limestone). Fermentation takes place in 50-hectoliter concrete vats using indigenous yeasts over a three-week period, with one vat vinified entirely with whole bunches. Malolactic fermentation and maturation extend for 12 months in truncated wooden vats, enhancing complexity and structure.

Chateau Yvonne is an ancient vineyard site that had long laid abandoned before it was restored by Mathieu Vallée back in 1997. Clos Rougeard’s influence can be felt here, since it was Rougeard’s Françoise Foucault that helped with the restoration. The mission was to make serious, ageworthy Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. At that, they have succeeded resoundingly. But it’s the more casual side of Château Yvonne that really intrigues us.

Located in Parnay, Chateau Yvonne has been surrounded by vineyards since the middle ages, when the monks at the Abbaye de Fontevraud brought their influence to the region. The Chateau dates to the 16th century, but not much is known until 1813, when a local winemaker moved in and began producing wine on site. In 1997, Yvonne and Jean-François Lamunière decided to recreate the abandoned vineyard with the help of Françoise Foucault. In 2007, Matthieu Vallée took over and decided to keep the name Chateau Yvonne in hommage to the incredible work done by the previous owners. Today the domaine is one of the best producers in Saumur, composed of 3 hectares of Chenin Blanc and 8 hectares of Cabernet Franc, spread out over 28 small plots in three villages. The vineyards have been farmed organically (Ecocert certified) since 1997 and biodynamically since 2012. Yvonne’s production remains extremely low, averaging only 2000 cs annually. All vineyard work here is done manually, and Matthieu makes the wines with as little manipulation as possible: native yeast fermentation, no additions other than SO2, slow malolactic fermentation, minimal racking, and bottling unfined and unfiltered. The dominant soils here are limestone and tuffeau stone but outcroppings of gravel and sandy clay give completely different expressions of Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc.