Domaine de Nerleux
With a name meaning “black wolves” in medieval French, Domaine de Nerleux at Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg has a long history of wine production, and has been in the hands of the Neau family for nine generations. St Cyr is South of Saumur, set back from the river and enjoys the lowest rainfall of the department and a more temperate microclimate.
Passionate about the character of their terroir, carved, like the châteaux of Chenonceau and Chambord, out of the white tuffeau limestone, the estate currently covers 47 hectares. It is planted predominantly with cabernet franc with 8 hectares of chenin blanc, and a little chardonnay for the sparkling wines. The vines have an average age of 30 years, with some plots as old as 80. Each of the estate's different parcels are treated separately, and the top cuvées come from only those plots in the mid-slope benefiting from the best exposure.
