Trip to Loire Valley and Champagne - Day 3

Today we went to Saumur, with the first stop at Domaine Bouvet Ladubay, a big sparkling wine producer in the area. With over eight kilometres of cellars, it is now headed by Patrice Monmousseau, the third generation of the family, with their wines winning many medals and awards in different competitions. Bouvet Ladubay did not own any vineyards but have been buying grapes from growers.

Arriving at the big property, we were led by the staff of Bouvet Ladubay to the old cellar, with the majority of production already shifting to another facility. However, we were still able to see many interesting things, from the cabinets storing all the different labels that they had created for themselves and clients, the old horse carriages and so on.

Then going down into the huge cellars, we could visualize the amount of activities happening inside, with the gigantic caves storing all the still wines before the second fermentation, the gyropalette and other machines.Not only limited to the production, there was also an artistic atmosphere with decorations on many columns highlighting the romantic nature of the people - further reinforcing the saying of wine and romance are integrated together.

Completing the tour of the cellars we went back to taste the wines, trying a total of six sparklings including Saphir, Tresor, Demi-Sec, Cremant de Loire Rose, Rubis and Grand Vin de Dessert. The wines were different from Champagne with the Chenin elements but I found it quite nice and easy-drinking. With the much lower price point it also went well for simple meals and party occasions.

I bought a bottle of Taille Princesse de Gerard Depardieu 2009, a special cuvee made in the name of the famous French actor in honor of his grandmother, who had a passion for gems. At the same time, the gift shop also offered some very nice glass stoppers and I could not help but to buy one too as a souvenir to bring back home.

With enough wine in stomach, time to find some good food. Our lunch was at Le Pot de Lapin, in a little street near the river with a friendly atmosphere. The chef Olivier Thibault had prepared delicious dishes from fresh products, with also an excellent wine list of Saumur and Saumur-Champigny.

After lunch we went to our next wine tasting, at Chateau du Hureau located in Dampierre sur Loire, a small village in Saumur. The 18th century chateau was backed by a cliff, with a troglodyte cellar. Greeted by owner Agathe Vatan, we visited the tyoglodyte cellar, looking at the intersting pigeonnier and admiring the fascinating combination of historical site with modern winemaking equipment.

There were a total of five wines we had tasted, including Foudre, a white from Chenin, three reds of Saumur-Champigny (Tuffe, Les Fevettes and W) as well as the sweet wine of Coteaux de Saumur. I was impressed by W which was made in a modern style, and thus ending up buying a bottle of W 2011 and the Coteaux de Saumur 2005.

The afternoon was essentially a free time for us, with David taking us to the village of Turquant to take a look at the tuff stone used to build all the castles, with the quarry now becoming homes to a number of craftsman. However, we were not a bunch particularly interested on those so decided to head back to Saumur to relax at a roadside cafe, after buying some local chocolate and snacks.

Returning to Turquant, we had dinner at l'Helianthe, a restaurant built in a troglodyte cave. The recipe was inspired by ancient ones of the area. Unlike the other tuff caves, we had been all the while, which were damp and dark, this restaurant gave us a cozy warm feeling. The wonderful food pairing with a local wine made our day complete and joyful, also getting us prepared to head further upriver to Sancerre tomorrow.