Vintner Crémants from the Loire are relatively rare, at least in Germany. This is simply due to the numbers. In addition to the 30 large négociants and cooperatives, the umbrella organization FNPEC lists a good 600 independent producers in its latest comparative overview from 2023. And that’s with a production area for Crémant of 3,018 hectares and 23 million bottles in 2022. Looking at the competition, it becomes clear how little that actually is. Alsace, which ranks number one in France ahead of the Loire for crémants, has 2,350 producers with a total of 3,673 hectares and 37.6 million bottles. Number 3 Burgundy (2,911 hectares) has 1,513 crémant producers. The Crémant du Jura appellation, which is almost seven times smaller, has 415 “producteurs” and 173 “élaborateurs”, almost as many as the Loire. In Champagne, by way of comparison, there were 4,100 producers in 2024. However, this is also an area and bottle count that is more than 10 times larger.
Premises: History and subregional roots
The history of sparkling wine production in the Loire region is largely unwritten, with the recent exception of the House of Ackerman. We know particularly little about the beginnings of growers producing sparkling wine. Although the structure of the producers – négociants, cooperatives, winegrowers – is similar to that in Champagne, the presence of the players in the market and their balance of power is completely different in the two regions. This is also due to the fact that, for the vast majority of growers, sparkling wine production has not been their main source of income until very recently. Unlike in Champagne, there is no opposing (formerly: confrontational) situation between industry associations. There, the Syndicat Général des Vignerons had taken the counterpart of the Union des Maisons de Champagne since the early 20th century. Until both sides made their historic “peace” in 1959. However, just as there was no such thing as this historic agreement, there was also no such thing in the Loire valley as what became known as the winegrowers’ champagne revolution from around 1985 onwards.
In my opinion, this results in a somewhat more pragmatic, less ideological approach among many sparkling wine producers in the Loire region. Conversely, however, this approach is perhaps not as ambitious as that of Champagne. In addition, sparkling wines from the Loire Valley are historically more rooted in regional differences. These differences are due to the respective climates, soils, and approved grape varieties. Their differences are quite striking. Just consider the maritime (Anjou) versus semi-continental climate (Touraine). Or the “Terres noires” of the Armorican Massif and the “Terres blanches” of the Paris Basin. Finally, there is a gradual transition of traditionally planted grape varieties from the west to the east of the appellation. This is why Anjou sparkling wine may contain Gamay or Cabernet Sauvignon, but Vouvray sparkling wine may not contain any red wine grape varieties at all. In any case, in 1975, winegrowers with very different backgrounds came together under the much more liberal umbrella, at least in terms of grape varieties, of “Crémant de Loire”.
Domaine du Moulin de l’Horizon
The estate in Sanziers, a district of Le-Puy-Notre-Dame, is located in the very south of the Saumur region. It was founded in 1992 by Jacky Clée. Ten years later, it was taken over by the Des Grousilliers-Lefort family, who came from Arras in the far north of France. They had little agricultural background and no professional knowledge of viticulture, but at least they had a two-year transition period with the previous owner. In 2016, the Néo-Vignerons received support from their son, who joined his parents’ business in 2016 after studying viticulture and working at several wineries around the world. Shortly afterwards, his sister Justine also joined the business. Today, she is responsible for marketing and communications, while her brother is increasingly taking on responsibility in the vineyards and cellar. Despite having spent a good 20 years in the Loire, the family still ironically calls their business “Vignerons Ch’ti” – the latter a dialect expression from Patois, which could be translated as “winegrowers from the (northern French) beer region.”
Moulin D’Horizon refers to a former windmill on the nearby hill of the same name – at 118 meters, it is the highest in Saumurois, and some say in the entire Loire Valley. Despite this exposure, the Chardonnay here is now becoming too ripe, which is why its proportion has recently decreased. The family attaches great importance to environmentally friendly and sustainable cultivation (for example, as a member of a bottle recycling association), and sulfur is rarely used. The family has taken over the names of some still wine cuvées from the previous owner. Otherwise, the focus of the 32-hectare estate, which produces a good 150,000 bottles, is now on sparkling wines. These account for a good 80 percent of production, with half of that coming from several classic AOP Saumur Mousseux cuvées.
The other half is Crémant de Loire – currently exclusively the Jean & Jacques Extra-Brut cuvée. Technically, it is a Blanc de Blancs Vintage (95% Chenin Blanc, 5% Chardonnay), but this is deliberately not communicated. Vinification takes place in stainless steel, with yeast storage lasting around 30 months. I taste the 2021 vintage and the recently bottled 2022. Both display remarkably pure fruit. The latter still has some dominant yeast notes, but it is more powerful than its slender predecessor. The latter, in turn, impresses with its salty finish.
Domaine de Bois Mozé
A place steeped in history! Once belonging to the nearby Château Montsabert, the 17th-century estate was separated in 1901 and has been an independent winery since 1913. In 1996, Odile and René Lancien became the owners – succeeding, among others, the noble family d’Aubigné, from which the so-called “Madame de Maintenon” made it to become the wife of Louis XIV. Bois Mozé is located near Coutures in Anjou – but the calcareous soils here, on the western edge of the Paris Basin, are more similar to those of Saumur. In 2004, Mathilde Giraudet took over the management. Since then, great importance has been attached to organic farming (certified since 2017). The winery operates according to the principles of agroforestry, supported by the planting of fruit trees and truffle oaks near the vines. The 36 hectares produce mainly white (exclusively Chenin) and red (Cabernet Franc) Anjou AOP wines, but also sweet Coteaux de l’Aubance. Pinot Noir, Grolleau Noir, and some Cabernet Sauvignon are also grown.
The production of sparkling wine only really took off with the arrival of Mathilde Giraudet. It currently accounts for around 30 percent of production, with the aim of increasing this to 40 to 50 percent. Apart from one Pet-Nat, these are exclusively Crémants de Loire – many of which are exported to the UK. “Germany,” says Giraudet, “is a difficult market for small Crémant producers.” The entry-level range consists of a white Port Blanc (in the UK: Brut Tradition) made from 100% Chenin and the rosé Désirée Anne (90% Cabernet Franc, 10% Grolleau Noir). These are accessible, well-made sparkling wines that offer good value for money.
The two top wines, Blanc Secret and Rosée Captive, both Brut Nature, play in a higher league. Since 2018, they have been aged in wood (1/3 new) instead of stainless steel. In addition, Giraudet uses the “méthode ancestrale”: fermentation is stopped by cooling to 11.5 degrees, which leaves about 24 grams of residual sugar. After six months of aging in wood, tirage and bottle fermentation take place – without any additional liqueur. After a good five years, disgorging follows. Here, too, no dosage is added (although about 4 grams of natural sugar remain). Accordingly, the crémants are of course vintages. I tasted 2019 (Blanc: 100% Chenin) and 2013 (Rosé: 100% small-berried Burgundian Pinot Noir clones). The former had unusual depth and a creamy texture. The latter, with its ripe, lush fruit, showed an astonishing similarity to a rosé champagne from the Aube.
Domaine Gagnebert
It’s only a few meters away, but everything is different. Just a moment ago, the walls and house facades were made of white limestone. Now, gray-black slate slabs dominate the villages. It is only an inconspicuous hill near Juigné-sur-Loire that separates the Armorican Massif from the Paris Basin. South of the Loire, near Angers, this leads to diverse soil formations. The 120 hectares of Domaine Gagnebert are spread across many of these, and its production is geared towards them. Red Anjou-Villages Brissac and sweet Coteaux de l’Aubance come from blue slate, for example. The grapes for Crémant, which accounts for a good third of production, come from loamy weathered slate or porous calcareous clay soils. The domaine, founded in 1884, focused on viticulture in 1950 and began bottling in 1978. Today, it is owned by the fifth generation of the founding Moron family. Christophe has been the cellar master since 2000, while his brother Nicolas has been in charge of the commercial side since 2003.
In recent years, the brothers have increasingly focused on sustainability. In 2020, the estate received the HVE label, and in 2024, Domaine de Gagnebert joined the Terra Vitis association. The cellar has also undergone some modernization, including modern pneumatic presses, thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks, and a tangential filter system. For sparkling wines (exclusively crémants), any form of oxidation is avoided and emphasis is placed on pure fruit, with malolactic fermentation taking place throughout.
The Gagnebert range starts with a pair: Un des sens (Blanc, the name being a play on word “indécent”) and Un sens (Rosé). Both mature on the lees for 12 months and each works well with its charming fruit. In terms of grapes, they are mirror images of each other. The Blanc blend includes Chenin, Chardonnay, and Grolleau Gris. The Rosé blend is Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Grolleau Noir. Incidentally, the indigenous Grolleau varieties are used because of their relatively high acidity, low alcohol potential, and delicate fruit aromas. Sens % Chenin – another play on words for “100 percent Chenin” – is a single varietal. With 36 months of yeast aging, a dosage of Coteaux-de-l’Aubance wine, and as a de facto vintage (from 2021), it is significantly more expressive and complex. No wonder the Moron brothers want to focus more on higher-quality vintage crémants in the future.
“Cultiver son jardin” – a conclusion
If we want to summarize the similarities between these three very different businesses, we can identify three key points. All of them are clearly committed to environmentally friendly and sustainable production that goes beyond mere certification. Whether it’s Moulin de L’Horizon’s cooperation with bottle recycler Bou’à Bout, Bois Mozé’s collaboration with the LPO bird protection league to increase biodiversity, or Gagnebert’s partnership with the Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV) research institute. All three wineries, whether neo-vignerons or long-established estates, are also deeply rooted in the winegrowing traditions of the middle Loire. This is particularly evident in their choice of grape varieties and their clear focus on Chenin Blanc. The operating philosophy of all three wineries could be understood as Voltaire’s “cultiver son jardin”. They do not lose themselves in speculation about “the best of all possible worlds,” but rather cultivate “their garden” in the best, most modern sense.
To stay with the metaphor, the trees do not grow to the sky. All of the winemakers presented here share a pragmatic realism in economic terms. Despite good reviews in publications such as Decanter and Revue du vin de France, none of the wines tasted here costs more than €20. This is good news for sparkling wine lovers, of course, but too little for the quality offered (and the effort put in by the producers) in the top cuvées.
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Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel
