In the cellar and in the kitchen
A range that gives pride of place to red wines made from Cabernet Franc, Gamay or Pineau d’Aunis, alongside dry white wines made from Chenin, matured to perfection, vinified naturally, aged for long periods in vats, barrels, tuns or amphorae… Terre de l’Elu wines are above all an interpretation of a terroir.
In the cellar and in the kitchen
A range that gives pride of place to red wines made from Cabernet Franc, Gamay or Pineau d’Aunis, alongside dry white wines made from Chenin, matured to perfection, vinified naturally, aged for long periods in vats, barrels, tuns or amphorae… Terre de l’Elu wines are above all an interpretation of a terroir.
In the cellar and in the kitchen
A range that gives pride of place to red wines made from Cabernet Franc, Gamay or Pineau d’Aunis, alongside dry white wines made from Chenin, matured to perfection, vinified naturally, aged for long periods in vats, barrels, tuns or amphorae… Terre de l’Elu wines are above all an interpretation of a terroir.
When red wins
One of the estate’s unique features lies in its grape varieties. While it was primarily Chenin Blanc that drew us to Anjou, more than half of the Clos de l’Elu vineyards are planted with red grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Grolleau, and Pineau d’Aunis. The L’Aiglerie cuvée was the first to appear in the new range in 2008, made from Cabernet Franc vinified with whole bunches.
This original choice stemmed from Thomas’s desire to break with tradition and follow his intuition, seeking both the fruitiness and the finesse of the tannins from a grape variety often considered austere.
In 2010, Charlotte gained her first experience in the cellar and created the Espérance cuvée, made entirely from Pineau d’Aunis. Together, drawing on our individual experience, our vision of wine, and our training (Charlotte will be completing a professional baccalaureate in viticulture and oenology in 2018!), we refine our maceration-infusion approach for red wines year after year, extend aging times (from 10 to 30 months depending on the vintage), and diversify our winemaking vessels (stainless steel tanks, wooden vats, old barrels, and terracotta jars).
Chenin Blanc remains a key component of our range, with 100% Chenin Blanc cuvées such as Bastingage (a blend of four Chenin Blanc terroirs), Ephata (old vines vinified in amphorae), and Parfum d’Eden (a dry white wine from the Chaume terroir), as well as blends within the Roc’h Avel cuvée, where the king of Anjou grapes is combined with Sauvignon Blanc. We like fully ripened grapes, and seek out well-ripened skins, which gives us wines that are ample and rich while remaining straightforward, precise and true to the minerality of Chenin Blanc.
Artisanal wines
In the cellar, there is no real recipe, just experience, a pinch of common sense, a few grams of knowledge and a lot of common sense!
Every year, we adapt to the profile of the vintage, while respecting the environment.
- Harvesting at perfect maturity.
- Natural vinification: indigenous yeasts, plot-by-plot vats.
- Fermentation and ageing in vats, barrels, or jars, depending on the type of wine produced.
- Long ageing periods: from 6 months for our spring cuvées to 2 or 3 years for our age-worthy wines.
- Low sulphite levels.
We like to say to our wines, in the manner of Saint Augustine: “Become what you are”!
