The Cellar

Located in a Roman Church from the 12th century, Chateau d’Épiré’s cellar is a privileged setting  to produce a quality white wine.

THE CHURCH

The Cistercian monks of the Saint Nicholas’ abbey of Angers built this church in the 12th century. When the new Church of Épiré was built (and financed by Elisabeth de Las Cases) in 1884, René Bizard bought the old one in 1898 and turned it into a cellar in 1906.

THE CELLAR

This is an ideal place for wine making. The very thick walls (almost a meter wide) keep the temperature stable inside. It’s cool during summer and less cold during winter which is perfect for wine producing, aging and preserving.

Moreover, given the height difference the church is half buried. It’s an advantage in Savennieres considering how hard it is to dig into shale and most cellars are on ground level. The press is at the top of the slope. During the harvests the juices flow down into the tanks by gravity which preserves the quality of the wine must.

THE WINE-MAKING PROCESS

Once the fermentations are finished, the wines are either aged in barrels (oak, chestnut or acacia barrels) in order to bring delicacy and complexity, or in stainless still tanks to keep the fruity aspects of the grape variety.

The aging lasts between 9 and 22 months, as the Savennières traditions dictate it. Wine blends are made by plot to create real wines of terroir.

The bottling takes place in June at the estate, right before the Summer heats.