- Wines in Portfolio -

CHENIN NOIR 

Type: Dry red

Appellation: Vin de France (in Saumur-Puy-Notre-Dame)

Site & Vines: 100% Pineau d’Aunis from chalk and tuffeau (soft yellow limestone) based soil.

Vinification & Elevage:  100% de-stemmed and vinified in stainless steel tank from 4 - 5 days and then transferred to œufs en béton (concrete, oval shaped tanks) to complete its fermentation and aging. Bottled in the spring following the vintage.

Notes: Rose and jasmine florals, black pepper and earth. Nicely textured and aromatic, reminiscent of jasmine green tea. Serve it with a slight chill.

CUVEE 253, VDF

Type: Dry red

Appellation: Saumur

Site & Vines: single parcel Cab Franc

Vinification & Elevage:  Fermented in concrete oval tank and aged in neutral wood. Unfined and unfiltered. 

Notes: 

LES FONTENELLES

Type: Dry white

Appellation: Vin de France (Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame)

Site & Vines: 100% Chenin Blanc on schist.

Vinification & Elevage: Vinified and aged uniquely in œufs en béton (concrete, oval shaped tanks) for 11 months. Unfined and unfiltered.

Notes: A warmer, richer and darker expression of Chenin than Les Amandiers. Ripe pear and citrus coupled with notes of cheese. Long on the palate with enduring acidity.

Château Tour Grise

Saumur-Puy-Notredame

Certified Organic and Biodynamic

Philippe and Françoise Gourdon founded Château Tour Grise in 1990, taking their half of a recognized family estate and striking out on their own with a deep commitment to organic and biodynamic farming and minimum intervention in the cellar. Before bio was cool, Philippe was animated by his like-minded, local, organic/biodynamic iconoclast peers of the 1990s, such as Guy Bossard, Nicolas Joly and Mark Angeli in trying to find meaningful and sustainable solutions to vineyard maladies. He is a staunch believer in promoting the greatest measure of biodiversity in the vineyard and in preserving the integrity of the vine in its quest for balance within the vineyard ecosystem. Tour Grise obtained biodynamic certification in 1998. Philippe and Françoise retired in 2015 but they remain active members of the Renaissance des Appellations committee and also spend a good deal of time training and helping those who have taken over their vineyards. Fortunately for us, they have deep cellars enabling us to continue to offer back vintages of several of their Saumur and Anjou bottlings.  At the same time, a number of young and committed growers have taken over Tour Grise's vineyards, each realizing their own independent takes on these prized parcels under their own labels.