Clau de Nell
Clau de Nell is the story of a wonderful human tale, even before being a remarkable artisanal reality of Loire wine. Anne-Claude Leflaive, one of the leading queens of the Côte d’Or, founded in 2006, together with her husband Christian Jacques and the famous soil microbiologists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon, the company CLAC, with the aim of supporting French biodynamic winemakers in their export activities. They meet the young owners of this enchanting Domaine, who in 2008 go through a period of severe crisis: in love with their project, Anne-Claude and Christian decide to buy the company to save it from bankruptcy and after a year of intense work, in 2009 Claude and Nell Pichard decide to leave the business to dedicate themselves to another life. The capable globetrotting agronomist Sylvain Potin joins the team, and starting from 2020 Claire, the daughter of Anne-Claude and Christian.
The Domaine Clau de Nell extends over a total of about 12 hectares in one body, in the area of the village of Ambillou Château, within the heralded territory between Angers and Saumur, near the left bank of the Loire and at an altitude of about one hundred meters above sea level. The various plots cultivated with Cabernet Franc, Grolleau, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chenin Blanc are made up of vines that have reached an average age of 60 years, with a widespread presence of some centennial vines. They are rooted in a soil with peculiar characteristics, consisting of clays, flint, and, several dozen meters deep, the limestone rock known as “tuffeau”, originated from remains of microorganisms and fragments of rocks that have been carried by the floods of the river and constitutes the typical material of the Anjou-Touraine region. The agronomic management is absolutely dedicated to biodynamic practices and the organic variety is guaranteed by the presence around the vineyards of cultivated fields, meadows, and lush woods.
up to 20 or 30 days. The fermentations are absolutely spontaneous and conducted solely by indigenous yeasts, while the aging takes place in oak barrels, on average for a period of 18 months. The cells in which the wines mature and rest are the centuries-old troglodytic caves, carved into the rock and capable of maintaining a constant temperature around 14 degrees Celsius.Clau de Nell is the story of a wonderful human tale, even before being a remarkable artisanal reality of Loire wine. Anne-Claude Leflaive, one of the leading queens of the Côte d’Or, founded in 2006, together with her husband Christian Jacques and the famous soil microbiologists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon, the company CLAC, with the aim of supporting French biodynamic winemakers in their export activities. They meet the young owners of this enchanting Domaine, who in 2008 go through a period of severe crisis: in love with their project, Anne-Claude and Christian decide to buy the company to save it from bankruptcy and after a year of intense work, in 2009 Claude and Nell Pichard decide to leave the business to dedicate themselves to another life. The capable globetrotting agronomist Sylvain Potin joins the team, and starting from 2020 Claire, the daughter of Anne-Claude and Christian.
The Domaine Clau de Nell extends over a total of about 12 hectares in one body, in the area of the village of Ambillou Château, within the heralded territory between Angers and Saumur, near the left bank of the Loire and at an altitude of about one hundred meters above sea level. The various plots cultivated with Cabernet Franc, Grolleau, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chenin Blanc are made up of vines that have reached an average age of 60 years, with a widespread presence of some centennial vines. They are rooted in a soil with peculiar characteristics, consisting of clays, flint, and, several dozen meters deep, the limestone rock known as “tuffeau”, originated from remains of microorganisms and fragments of rocks that have been carried by the floods of the river and constitutes the typical material of the Anjou-Touraine region. The agronomic management is absolutely dedicated to biodynamic practices and the organic variety is guaranteed by the presence around the vineyards of cultivated fields, meadows, and lush woods.
up to 20 or 30 days. The fermentations are absolutely spontaneous and conducted solely by indigenous yeasts, while the aging takes place in oak barrels, on average for a period of 18 months. The cells in which the wines mature and rest are the centuries-old troglodytic caves, carved into the rock and capable of maintaining a constant temperature around 14 degrees Celsius.
