Sparkling wine production in the Loire region is younger than that in Champagne. However, it has some comparable structures and is historically closely linked to Champagne – both through their conflicts and their cooperation. One similarity is the division of the main players into three groups: the maisons, which also buy grapes as négociants, the winegrowers, and finally the cooperatives. As in Champagne, the négociants were the historical driving force in the Loire Valley. They created regional sparkling wines as their own brands and made them famous throughout the world.
And as in Reims (with the Butte St. Niçaise) and Épernay (with the Avenue de Champagne), there is also a geographical center for Crémant de Loire. It is Rue Jean Ackerman and its extension, Rue Léopold Palustre, in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent near Saumur. This is where the little river Le Thouet flows into the Loire. The southern slopes directly below the vineyards were used as tuff quarries for centuries until the arrival of the sparkling wine producers. Numerous renowned maisons can still be found here.
1. Maison Ackermann
Any serious visit to the “Fines bulles de Loire,” the fine sparkling wines of the Loire, must begin at Maison Ackerman. The history of Crémant de Loire is less about its official founding year of 1811 (as the Ackerman-Laurence wine trading house) and more about the production of the first sparkling wines in 1834. After production moved to an old tuff stone quarry in 1840 (today primarily the Maison’s visitor center with an impressive museum), the actual sparkling wine industry began in the Loire. And for a good decade without any real competitors! The house, which also produced Champagne in Reims for a time, achieved worldwide success despite strong headwinds under owners Jean-Baptiste and Louis-Ferdinand Ackerman. In 1956, it was taken over by Maurice Rémy and affiliated with his Rémy-Pannier Group. In 2002, the agricultural cooperative Terrena acquired its first shares, and in 2015 it became the majority shareholder. Today, Maison Ackermann (renamed in 2009) is part of its wine division, Orchidées Maisons de vin.
With an estimated annual production of 2.5–2.7 million bottles of “Fines Bulles,” Maison Ackerman is the top dog in the region. The vineyard covers 150 hectares, particularly in the “Les Dames de la Vallée” sector. Here, cultivation is geared toward sparkling wine requirements, with a research and development center located directly in the vineyard. The actual sparkling wine production now takes place in Vaudelnay, south of Saumur. In addition to Crémant de Loire, the portfolio also includes Saumur Mousseaux AOP. Irritatingly, some of these are also sold in the same packaging and under the same brand name (more on this in part 3 of the report). The classic is Bulles Royale (70% Chenin, 15% Chardonnay, 15% Cabernet Franc), also available as a Rosé (CF dominant) and as an organic wine (the Maison has recently been very committed to this). The Émilie Ackerman line is somewhat more upscale. These are generally well-made, fruit-forward, and very accessible sparkling wines. The Royale Vintage, with 36 months of yeast aging (60% Chenin, 40% Chardonnay), embodies more sophistication: noticeable yeast aromatics with a pleasantly reduced dosage and soft acidity.
2. Gratien & Meyer
Alongside Langlois, this Crémant house is the last in the Loire region with connections to Champagne, after Taittinger sold Bouvet-Ladubay again in 2006. It was founded in 1864 by Frenchman Alfred Gratien. The addresses around today’s Rue Jean Ackerman (where Ackerman, Langlois, Bouvet-Ladubay, and Veuve Amiot are located) were already taken. So the house moved into an abandoned quarry near Saumur, high above the Loire. In the same year, Gratien also founded the Champagne house named after him in Épernay. In 1874, Albert-Jean Meyer from Alsace joined the company, and from 1896 onwards, the sparkling wines were sold under the name Gratien & Meyer. Meyer’s son Albert-Edmond took over in 1922, supported from 1936 onwards by his son-in-law Eric Seydoux, who ran the houses from the 1960s onwards. In 1993, his sons formed the Gratien Meyer Seydoux holding company, which was then sold in 2000 (including the Champagne house) to the German group Henkell & Söhnlein (Henkell Freixenet since 2018).
The winery, including its five kilometers of tunnels, is of great historical interest, not only because of its Art Deco glass façade. In the early 1930s, Albert-Edmond Meyer had a huge Daubron centralizer installed here. This enables the winery to operate largely without pumps and hoses. The entire production process still takes place here, from aging (mainly in cement and stainless steel tanks) and secondary bottle fermentation to filling, storage, and labeling. The base wines for the prestigious Flamme cuvée are aged in wood. For this cuvée, even the base wines (Coteaux de Layon!) for the dosage are aged in wood. In this case, however, acacia wood is used instead of oak. As at the sister winery in Épernay, malolactic fermentation is not carried out. Pierre Charon, oenologist and technical director at Gratien&Meyer, considers bottle fermentation of between 18 (for the rosés) and 24 (for the blancs) months to be optimal for classical crémants. Any longer than that, and the delicate fruit would be overly masked by autolysis.
Quality offensive
Even though the company can operate largely independently of its German parent company, the signals of the Crémant boom have been heard in Wiesbaden. Accordingly, Henkell Freixenet has been investing heavily in the future of Gratien&Meyer for several years. In addition to marketing and communication, this primarily concerns the company’s own land holdings. The company already owns 82 hectares of vines on the Loire, and now another 18 vineyards have been added, including 5 hectares of Chardonnay in addition to Chenin Blanc. Pierre Charon is convinced that Chenin Blanc is the signature of Loire Crémant, but Chardonnay gives it structure and “enlightens” its level. In fact, it is difficult to buy Chardonnay grapes from winegrowers. This is because there are only a few young vineyards left in the region. Since the grape is not approved for still wine AOPs, hardly anyone planted it after 2000. That is why the house is increasing its vineyard purchases and new plantings – which, with prices per hectare around €25,000, is considerably easier than in Champagne.
Gratien&Meyer also produces well over 2 million bottles of sparkling wine annually – with a correspondingly broad distribution. Saumur Mousseux is also produced here, but only in a basic line up to and including Millésime. The Crémant de Loire portfolio initially comprises the entry-level line, which is visually identical to the Saumur, with Chenin Blanc as the main grape variety (including vintages). This is followed by an upscale range called Diadem with a higher Chardonnay content. And finally, the Flamme trio, which includes a rosé and a vintage in addition to the classic white cuvée.
Their composition is clearly inspired by Champagne. In the Blanc, Chardonnay now takes the lead with a 50 percent share, ahead of 25 percent Chenin Blanc and 25 percent Pinot Noir. In the Rosé, Pinot Noir (45%) leads, ahead of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc (20% each) and Cabernet Franc (15%). Flamme Brut 2017, with six years of bottle fermentation, is the exception in the range. Only Burgundy grapes are used here, with Chardonnay (89%) clearly dominating Pinot Noir (11%). In terms of both aroma and texture, these are not necessarily typical Crémants from the Loire. But the vintage in particular shows some class with its subtle creaminess, complexity, and good acidity.
3. Langlois
Maison Langlois is the youngest of the three houses presented here. And here, too, the founding date of 1885 does not represent the real beginning. That is actually the year in which the Deslandes wine trading house in Saumur was established, which was taken over in 1912 by the couple Édouard Langlois and Jeanne Chateau. However, there was a second root to the company, which was registered as Langlois-Chateau (sic). In the year it was founded, Max Baron von Bodmann (with roots in Baden) also acquired a stake in Langlois-Chateau and left the couple the cellars, buildings, and vineyards of his Château de Saint-Florent. After Édouard’s death in World War I, his widow Jeanne Chateau initially continued to run the winery. In 1958, her nephew Maurice Leroux converted the house into a public limited company, in which the Bollinger family eventually acquired a majority stake in 1973. François-Régis Fougeroux joined as production manager in 2001 and has been CEO since 2008. In 2023, the Bollinger Group decided to rename the house Maison Langlois.
The vineyard estate is impressive, not least because of the Bodman property. It includes the legendary Les Poyeux plot in Saumur-Champigny and the Clos St Florent, located directly above the winery’s historic cellars. Cabernet Franc vines up to 60 years old grow here. Still wines are also produced from these vines, as well as from the best Chenin Blanc plots. Nevertheless, the vineyard holdings have been gradually expanded in recent decades. The house is proud to compose its crémants from four to five terroirs with different soils (tuff, limestone, slate). Saumur Mousseux are not produced. The winery has been certified sustainable since 2000. The 2021 vintage saw the launch of the first certified organic Langlois Crémant, the Blanc de Blancs. In two years, the entire vineyard area should be certified organic. The house only buys grapes from contract winegrowers and no musts or even wines, because it wants to have complete control from the pressing stage onwards.
A unique approach
Twelve years ago, Champagne writer Tom Stevenson criticized Langlois-Chateau for trying too hard to imitate Bollinger Champagne. Today, that is no longer the case. Even back then, the comparison was questionable, as Langlois does not use wood and avoids malolactic fermentation. However, the decisive moment for François-Régis Fougeroux is the pressing process, which can take up to four hours. Fermentation with neutral yeasts takes place in stainless steel tanks between 27 and 200 hectoliters, as precisely as possible for each parcel. Malolactic fermentation is blocked, but this requires ripe Chenin Blancs and Cabernet Francs without any green aromas. To achieve this, the potential alcohol content must be as near 11 percent as possible. The second bottle fermentation lasts at least two years. However, it can also take significantly longer – perhaps the only significant stylistic parallel with Champagne. In addition, the winery attaches great importance to its reserve wines (at least two vintages). Disgorging and the moderate addition of dosage are followed by a resting period of at least three months.
With 80 percent of its production exported, the winery considers itself a medium-sized player, with an annual production of 1 million bottles. All cuvées in the portfolio are Chenin-dominated (Cabernet Franc for the rosé). Only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are used as additions, with a maximum of about one-third in the blend. Even the entry-level crémants are impressive. The 2020 Brut and 2021 Blanc de Blancs both demonstrate how well Chenin Blanc goes with longer bottle fermentation. The latter has good precision with 2 grams of dosage and even an iodine-salty finish. Cadence 2017 is Langlois’ new prestige cuvée from the best parcels of the Saumur terroir. A Crémant that needs a little air to develop and then shows beautiful autolytic aromas with lots of freshness.
Finally, Fougeroux opens two more bottles from the treasure trove. “PNG,” as he says, “pour nos gueles”: simply for enjoyment. He starts with a 2012 Quadrille. This is Langlois’ former top bottling, whose name refers to the great equestrian tradition of Saumur. It is certainly a fairly developed Crémant, but it still bears witness to the sensual richness of a wonderful vintage. And for the finale, a Crémant from the legendary sparkling wine year 2008, which was disgorged in 2015. Here, you enter a world of more oxidative aromas such as nougat and roasted hazelnuts. An experience and a plea for new approaches to Crémant!
Notes
The trip to the Loire Valley was organized at the invitation and expense of Vins de Loire and coordinated on the German side by ff.k Public Relations. I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all the organizers and participating wineries.
The historian Valentin Taveau, one of my hosts at Maison Ackerman, has written a fascinating, richly documented doctoral thesis on the Ackerman house and the early history of Crémant production in the Loire. An adaptation, illustrated by Simon Bonnefoy, has just been published as a comic book (here). Something like this is only possible in France!
I already visited Bouvet-Ladubay, probably the best-known Crémant house in Germany, on the occasion of a market report for “WEIN+MARKT” 2022 and portrayed it in the article “Die Über-Schäumer” (unfortunately behind a paywall).
Captions
Entrance image: Clos St Florent of Maison Langlois with a view of the castle of Saumur; Image 1: Old riddling racks at Langlois; Image 2: Habilliage at Gratien-Meyer; Images 3 and 4: Old wine cellar of Maison Ackerman and the current Royale 2022 vintage; Images 5 and 6: View of the Art Deco façade of Gratien & Meyer, aphrometer for measuring bottle pressure; Images 7 and 8: Pierre Charon, Technical Director of Gratien & Meyer, and the current Flamme series; Images 9 and 10: View of the reception building, old vines in Clos St Florent; Images 11 and 12: François-Régis Fougeroux, estate director of Langlois, and part one of the tasting; Images 13 and 14: PNG: the unofficial part of the tasting, Image 15: Bottle storage at Gratien & Meyer “sur pointe” with yeast sediment.
Image rights
Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
