Hubby and I have enjoyed many holidays in the Loire Valley and although there are many places we have yet to visit we couldn't pass through without revisiting
Monmousseau.
Just outside Montricard, near Chenonceaux Chateau this domaine makes superb sparkling wine in the traditional method using Chenin Blanc. Monmousseau also produce still wines under the Touraine, Vouvray and Chenonceaux appellations using Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Gamay grapes.
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| Monmousseau |
Monmousseau stands high above the valley of the River Cher, known as the King's Valley, with amazing views over the hillsides and inland waterways.
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| Monmousseau grapes |
This region is famous for its tuffeau stone, quarried for building the beautiful Loire chateaux. Alcide Monmousseau, in 1886, transformed the old quarry tunnels into wine making cellars. The site has 15km of underground caves at a constant temperature of 12 degrees, perfect for the production of traditionally made sparkling wine.
These caves, still being used today for production, are fascinating to tour. Our visit began outside taking in the stunning scenery before using a key code to enter the caves. It was a self guided tour, armed with an information sheet but no hard hat or other safety equipment, we ventured forth ....
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| The entrance to the caves |
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| The quarried out stone cave stretched before us |
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| Thousands of score Mark's from the quarrying |
Its amazing to think these tunnels were dug by hand, the old photos show how dangerous the work was.
The extensive cave network is now, as well as being a wine cave, an art exhibition. Painting are projected onto the walls in an amazing 3D effect. Natalie Dahon and ReNo Menat are the two artists responsible for this beautiful work. Inspired by this rocky universe, my photos do not do their work justice, it was superb. You'll need to look carefully to see the tunnels, some art is in the enclosed alcoves of the caves.
After the amazing artwork we moved into the wine making part of the tour. It was quite surreal to have to move aside as the forklift truck and driver carried out their daily work, a tour that makes you feel part of the wine production.
Having visited many canvas in the Champagne region Hubby and I have seen many displays of rotating cages and wine making equipment but we are always taken aback by the storage quantities. Monmousseau was no exception, thousands of bottles stacked in bays, a practice going back many years.
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| An old photograph showing the wine in storage |
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| Today's bottles |
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| One exploded bottle, but the rest stay safe |
After the tour in the caves we returned to the main shop/reception area - this used to be part of the main production as you can see in this old photo and the photo we took on our visit.
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| The room now, you can see the same arch above the doorway on the left |
Cremant de Loire is a superb sparkling wine of which Hubby and I have enjoyed many, however it is difficult to buy Monmousseau in French supermarkets or in the UK. We enjoyed a super tasting trying four of the range on offer. The wines range from being very dry to a sweet red sparkling wine, quite a surprise to us.
I cannot honestly say which was my favourite, some I enjoyed more than others but given a larger pocket and much larger boot I would have brought many more bottles home.
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| Monmousseau tasting |
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| Our four sparkling wine tastings |
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| The three that made it home including the superb sparkling red |
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| Two fabulous still wines also produced by Monmousseau |
It was another fantastic visit, the caves with their artwork were amazing. We will be enjoying Monmousseau at home with fond memories and will certainly be visiting again if we visit or pass by the Loire on one of our many trips to France.
