Manoir de la Tete Rouge
Saumur, Loire Valley
Manoir de la Tête Rouge, Puy Notre Dame Guillaume Reynouard
Manoir de la Tête Rouge was built in 1649 at the bottom of the Puy Notre Dame hill, where a splendid XIth century church overlooks the vineyard. In 1995, Guillaume, bought this beautiful house with a 13ha vineyard planted on the best clay and limestone soils of the area. He has since enlarged the estate to 18ha.
Since 1998 the entire vineyard is grown in organic farming, and biodynamically certified since 2010. Biodynamics, an agriculture that safeguards the environment with respect for the plant, nature, and the consumer! He says the road was difficult because the soil had not been worked for 30 years. Currently, Guillaume works the soils superficially at a maximum of 5 cm, to remove the herbs at the feet of the stumps. After the harvest, in October November, he loosens about 25 cm of the soil to allow the winter rains to replenish the water stocks of the plots. Today, yields are fairly regular but limited; With a severe selection in the vineyard of grapes this promotes quality! The vineyard floors have never been so good, Guillaume says. The return of many species of plants and insects contributes strongly to the balance of his terroirs. He performs a natural weeding of the inter-rows with only a mowing before the harvest. Recently, he has just re-implanted 30 acres of Pineau Aunis, a local grape forgotten and denigrated in the Saumur.
TÊTE D’ANGE, AOC SAUMUR:
- 100% CHENIN
- Manual Harvesting on the Lieu-dit de l’Enchentoir on 1st and 3rd passes.
- Vines on the Riparia transplant aged 16 years, pruned in cordon de royat
- Pneumatic press pressing for 4 hours. Ventilation is made before the settling. Fermentation in concrete tanks from November to May.
- A pinch of Sulphur at bottling only
- Only 975 cases made.
TÊTE EN L’AIR, AOC CREMANT DE LOIRE:
- 80% Chenin, 20% Grolleau Gris
- Manual harvest
- 100% Turonian limestone clay
- Vines aged 11-30 years
- Pruned in Guyot-Poussard alternate. pneumatic press for 4 hours. The first and last 50 liters of the juice are taken away. The bottles rest 18 months in lattes.
- 15 mg sulfur is added at the bottling.
BAGATELLE, AOC SAUMUR:
- 100% CABERNET FRANC
- Manual harvest of 6 plots
- 30% of the Jurassic, 60% Turonian limestone clay, 10% gravelly silt
- Vines aged 15 to 30 years
- Pruned in alternating Guyot-Poussard. Maceration of 3 weeks. Maturing in concrete vats until bottling in May
- Addition of 25 to 30 mg of sulfur to the bottling only
- 1575 cases made
TETE DE LARD, AOC SAUMUR PUY NOTRE DAME:
- 100% CABERNET FRANC
- Manual harvest of 2 plots
- 100% Turonian limestone clay
- Vines aged 20 years
- Pruned in Guyot-Poussard alternate. Maceration for 6 weeks
- The maturing – 12 months in French oak barrels of 300 liters aged from 10 to 15 years then 4 months in together in concrete tanks
- Light sulphuring is done just before bottling in the spring
- 691 cases made
FREE MOUSSE Pet Nat
- 50% CHENIN, 20% GROLLEAU GRIS, 15% CABERNET FRANC, 15% PINEAU D’AUNIS
- Clonal and mass selection vines aged 11-30 years
- Manual whole harvest pressed for 4 hours
- Fermentation in vats with indigenous yeasts, 10 months on average on slats, bottled when specific gravity approaches 1000
- Added 15 mg of Sulfur to the draw
- Not disgorged
- 10800 bottles produced
- Food and wine pairings from winemaker: apple crumble, homemade hummus, veal sweetbreads poached in Free Mousse, sardine rillettes
- Tasting comment from winemaker: “copper dress, nose on the fruit, on the palate, a frank and delicate attack with aromas of currant and a slight tannic presence”
K’ SA TÊTE
- 100% PINEAU D’AUNIS
- 15-year-old vines
- Soils: alteration of green chalk and clay-limestone from the middle Turonian
- Grapes entirely destemmed
- Maceration in concrete vats is 12 days in infusion without adding yeast, without chaptalization, and without additives
- Aging of 6 months in barrels until May
- Bottling made in June with 20 mg of Sulfur added
- 5200 bottles and 200 magnums produced
- Food and wine pairings from winemaker: grilled mackerels or sardines with potatoes, wok of vegetables and chicken with coriander, fine charcuterie board with friends, or alone!
- Tasting comment from winemaker: “cherry color, nose dominated by minty notes of Sichuan pepper and white pepper, on the palate, a round and greedy attack with discreet tannins: a very digestible wine but with incredible length”
Other Wines: CHAPITRE, ENCHENTOIR BLANC
