Domaine Aux Moines
Domaine Aux Moines is the concrete testimony that wine is no longer just 'a matter between men'. It is indeed a winemaking project entirely female, founded in 1981 by Monique Laroche, with a plural connotation, given the entry into the winery of her daughter oenologist Tessa. The project was born with the deep intent to pay homage to the rare grand cru La Roche-aux-Moins, a terroir of absolute election for Chenin Blanc grapes, now successfully and integrally carried on.
The name Domaine Aux Moines literally means 'the house of the monks'; a reference that is by no means casual, as it is said that already in the Middle Ages the monks of Béhuard and then those of Abbaye Saint-Nicolas took care of the vineyards in the Savannieres area. Here we are in the western part of the Anjou region, just a few kilometers away from the city of Angers, in one of the most flourishing and historic areas of the Loire Valley. First with Monique and now with Tessa, work in the vineyard has always been done with the utmost respect for the plant, without the use of chemicals and protecting the land as much as possible.of the plant, without the use of chemicals and protecting the land as much as possible. A thought that materializes with the acquisition of organic certification in 2006 and with the current biodynamic orientation among the rows. A historically low-yielding area, with very low yields and high potential. Almost all production is dedicated to Chenin, along with small percentages of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, with an average age of the vines of 35 years. The Loire River flowing in close proximity to the vineyards is an element of essential importance: a protection against spring frosts and a fundamental thermal driver for the proper ripening of the grapes. The soils are typically schistose, with a slight presence of clays and sandstones that give, especially to the whites, a very recognizable character: deeply mineral, with a clear predominance of flint notes.
The plants are all exposed to the south or southwest and look towards the infamous Coulée de Serrant; by the way, despite the industry critics continuingto mention only the latter as a reference area for Savennières, we are convinced that their neighbors are by no means inferior!
Domaine Aux Moines is the concrete testimony that wine is no longer just 'a matter between men'. It is indeed a winemaking project entirely female, founded in 1981 by Monique Laroche, with a plural connotation, given the entry into the winery of her daughter oenologist Tessa. The project was born with the deep intent to pay homage to the rare grand cru La Roche-aux-Moins, a terroir of absolute election for Chenin Blanc grapes, now successfully and integrally carried on.
The name Domaine Aux Moines literally means 'the house of the monks'; a reference that is by no means casual, as it is said that already in the Middle Ages the monks of Béhuard and then those of Abbaye Saint-Nicolas took care of the vineyards in the Savannieres area. Here we are in the western part of the Anjou region, just a few kilometers away from the city of Angers, in one of the most flourishing and historic areas of the Loire Valley. First with Monique and now with Tessa, work in the vineyard has always been done with the utmost respect for the plant, without the use of chemicals and protecting the land as much as possible.of the plant, without the use of chemicals and protecting the land as much as possible. A thought that materializes with the acquisition of organic certification in 2006 and with the current biodynamic orientation among the rows. A historically low-yielding area, with very low yields and high potential. Almost all production is dedicated to Chenin, along with small percentages of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, with an average age of the vines of 35 years. The Loire River flowing in close proximity to the vineyards is an element of essential importance: a protection against spring frosts and a fundamental thermal driver for the proper ripening of the grapes. The soils are typically schistose, with a slight presence of clays and sandstones that give, especially to the whites, a very recognizable character: deeply mineral, with a clear predominance of flint notes.
The plants are all exposed to the south or southwest and look towards the infamous Coulée de Serrant; by the way, despite the industry critics continuingto mention only the latter as a reference area for Savennières, we are convinced that their neighbors are by no means inferior!
