Domaine Sebastien Brunet

Domaine Sebastien Brunet is a recently established concern located in Chançay northeast of Vouvray, a few kilometers from the city of Tours. Since 2007, Géraldine and Sébastien Brunet have been cultivating the family vineyards while also purchasing an old 16th-century mushroom farm to use the ancient tunnels dug into the stone to age the wines in natural temperature and humidity conditions. The Maison carries on the customs of a winemaking family with skill and enthusiasm, following the traditional savoir-faire of a great terroir. Indeed, the Vouvray area is known throughout the world for a historic production of great white wines, which are among the elite of the best expressions of the great Loire Valley vineyard.
The Loire vineyard is the largest in all of France and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Massif Central. The history of vine cultivation in this area has ancient origins. The first vines were planted by the Romans in the Nantes area, and viticulture spread throughout the region from the 5th century onward. It then found new impetus between the 9th and 12th centuries, thanks to the development of agricultural activities linked to the presence of the religious monasteries of Benedictine and Augustinian monks, who became the custodians of the tradition of viticulture, passing on its knowledge within their communities. Vineyards developed along the banks of the river, taking advantage of the favorable soil and climatic conditions and also exploiting the waterways to trade the wines of the area.
The spread and success of Loire Valley wines benefited from the ascension to the English throne of Henry III Count of Anjou, who introduced the wines of his land to the court in London. The development of the region continued in the following centuries, but was challenged by the frost of 1709, the French Revolution and the phylloxera crisis, which almost completely destroyed the Loire vineyard. The subsequent revival, however, brought a new awareness and desire to direct production toward quality. Sébastien Brunet embodies this spirit perfectly. The demand for his wines has grown his Domaine from the initial 3 hectares to the current 15, and today he offers a range of labels from Classic Method sparkling wines to dry wines, from Demi-Sec to sweet and fortified wines. Protagonist of the terroir is the Chenin Blanc grape variety, which has adapted well to the oceanic-continental climate and soils composed of limestone, with the presence of siliceous sands and clays.