The Estate

THE CHATEAU D’EPIRE

Vineyards were planted in Anjou during the Roman era as in many other regions of France. Since the IXth century, Savennières vines has been cultivated more intensively. The expansion of the vineyards started.

During the Plantagenet period, in the XIth century, Anjou and England were closely tied; it was the beginning of wines exportation, which spread the reputation of Savennières wines overseas and probably explain why we can find in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge some Savennières wine lovers.

The castle was built in 1850.

ANCIENNE EGLISE ROMANE

The cellars are located in the old roman church in the very center of Epiré, property of the family since 1882 after the construction of the new church. It then became a chais (cellar) in 1906.

SAVENNIERES AND ÉPIRÉ WINES

The Château d’Epiré is one the most famous and eldest vineyards of the Appellation Savennières, it is a family-owned estate since the XVIIth century.

A UNIQUE MICROCLIMATE

The microclimate of Savennières is in the heart of a 5km strip of land along the north side of the Loire Valley, the hillsides are quite steep and face the south-southeast, taking advantage of their exposure to the sun. 120 kilometers away from the sea, the ocean air flows up the Loire valley and makes the climate warmer.

Château d’Epiré’s  estates are situated on the hilltops, during the harvest time the fog is swept away by the wind, and grapes are passerillé (concentrated by the sun and the wind).

The microclimate and the complexity of the soil give to the Château d’Epiré wine a strong identity of its own.

Grounds hardness and climate warmth, these are the ingredients that make Château d’Epiré wine so unique.

AN OUTSTANDING TERROIR

The appellation Savennières is situated on a shale and sandstone-rock terroir dating back to the primary period. Far from being regular, the Terroir of Savennières has kept remnants of submarine volcanic activity from the primary period. This is the reason why we find blue rocks (phtanits, on the picture) in some places, like in “Hu-Boyau”. Ptanits play a significant role as they accumulate the heat during the day and give it back in the night, accelerating grapes’ ripeness.

Le Château d’Epiré is divided into four plots:

The estate consits of 11 hectares (28 acres) including 10 (25 acres) planted with the chenin grape variety for the white wine production and 1 hectare for the red wine production with the Cabernet Franc grape variety. It is divided into five plots:

• Le Hu Boyau,
• La Croix Picot, la Giloterie and la Brosse,
• La Cerisaie,
• La Treille,
• Rochepin

Each one is, to a certain extent, treated like a separate vineyard because of the diversity in the age of the vines, soil type, etc. The combination of these many aspects gives Chateau d’Epiré wine its complexity.