Chardonnay base on this cuvée.

The terroir is clay / granite, the manual harvest, the work in the cellar and the vineyard is the most respectful of the terroir and the environment.

The wine is ripe, the fruit present, unctuous but the finish is salivating.

We are not very far from Burgundy but the terroir is very different and this is reflected in the wine.

Domaine des Pothiers, which takes its name from the lieu-dit in which it is situated,  is one of the oldest, but also one of the most dynamic and exciting domains within the appellation. The Paires have been in Villemontais for over 300 years. The current incumbent, Georges, joined his father in 1974 and took control of the family domaine in 1978. Georges and Denise’s son, Romain, joined his parents in 2004 after completing his studies. In addition to making wine, they also raise Limousin cattle.

They work a total of nine hectares of vines, and all but 30 acres is owned by the family themselves. Whilst the majority of the vineyards are planted to Gamay Saint-Romain, they do also have just less than one hectare of Chardonnay and half a hectare of Pinot Gris will come into production in 2009. Everything here is hand harvested, with all the vineyards organic, in conversion.

In 2005 the Paires purchased what is probably the highest (with the potential to be the most distinguished, or at the very least aesthetic pleasing) vineyard in the entire appellation. Le Clos du Puy sits high up on the hillside with amazing views down towards the plain and the Lac de Loire, with the mountains of Beaujolais in the distance. It is a true closof 1.7 hectares enclosed, completely, by a high wall. The previous owner started to re-establish vines here in 2000, but for the moment the rest of the plot remains dormant. Le Puy itself is a hamlet of one or two houses, but it is dominated by an old priory, now a smallholding with its own chapel, that would have once claimed ownership of the clos. It is a special place that deserves to make special wine. Let’s hope that is the case in years to come.