Princé

This is one of three Chenin vineyards that we have in the AOP Coteaux de l’Aubance. Under the rules for this AOP (L'Appellation d'origine protégée) for sweet wines there must be traces of shales less than 30cms from the surface.


When Chenin Blanc is planted on a windy site it tends to produce more aromatic grapes. The topography of the Princé plateau is especially favourable for this, hence the typical character of our Petit Princé wine – the name of the eastern part of the plateau where vines are planted.


Cabernet Franc, which does not like thin soils, nevertheless is well adapted to these stony soils because the clays here ensure that there is no water stress.

Geology

grey-green, rusty coloured, sometimes purple shales with veins of quartz

Origin

weathered rock

Pédologie

Manual harvesting through selective picking from several sweeps through the vines choosing overripe grapes (about 20%) along with those concentrated by noble rot (botrytis cinerea)

Grape varieties

Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc

Topography/landscape

Windy plateau that dominates the south part of Angers.