Type

Red Wine

Appellation

Saumur-Champigny

Variety

Cabernet Franc

Yvonne Rouge is the original red wine produced at the domaine from the exceptional terroir around Parnay known as "La Côte". It’s one of the finest Cabernet Francs from the Loire, and has the seemingly indefinite ageing potential of all truly great wines. Certainly enjoyable on release, it will greatly benefit from 3-5 years in the cellar, and continue to improve for many more.

Viticulture

Vineyard name

3 parcels in Parnay : Les Pierres Blanches, Le Bourreau and Le Beaumeray, and one parcel in Turquant : “Château Gaillard”.

Soil type

Clay/limestone soils on Turonian Limestone better known as tuffeau.

Vine ageFrom 1940s to 2010s

Vineyard size2.5 ha

Vinification

The cold temperature in their caves delays fermentation and gives a natural pre-fermentation maceration. Native yeast fermentation in 38 hl foudres for 4 weeks.

Elevage18 months total. Malolactic Fermentation and elevage in a subterranean cave. 12 months in barrel (20% new) and then assembled “en masse” for 6 months in large foudres before bottling.

Harvest typeHand Harvested

Fining/FilteringUnfined and unfiltered

Additional info

Total production average10,000 bottles

More about
the producer

Château Yvonne

Founded in 1997

13 hectares

Located in Parnay, Château 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 château dates to the 16th century, but not much became known of it 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, Mathieu Vallée took over and decided to keep the name Château Yvonne, in homage of the incredible work done by the previous owners. Today, the domaine is one of the best producers in Saumur. The estate is composed of 3 hectares of Chenin Blanc and 8 hectares of Cabernet Franc, all of which have been farmed organically since 1997.