AOC Bonnezeaux wines awarded at the Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge

A.O.C./A.O.P.

Bonnezeaux is one of two Coteaux du Layon great growths in Anjou. the vineyards are located south of the Loire, twenty or so kilometres from Angers in the village of Thouarcé. Three south-south-west facing hillsides overlooking the Layon – La Montagne, Beauregard and Fesles - are home to the vines. The overripe grapes are harvested by hand and painstakingly sorted as they ripen. Minimum alcohol content is 13.5%. The appellation is shared by around fifty different growers. The vines are planted on decomposed shale rich in sandstone, quartz and phtanite. The topsoil is shallow and littered with stones. Chenin is the only white varietal grown.

Grape varieties: Vins blancs doux : chenin

The wines of this appellation

Bonnezeaux are fresh, well-balanced, delicate sweet wines that are complex and elegant. Bursting with fruit, they are opulent, fat and robust with a well-balanced mellowness. As they mature, they become full, unctuous and ample. Sporting a golden hue with greenish tints, they display fragrances of stewed apricot, orange, quince, pineapple, verbena, vanilla, honey, acacia, hawthorn and linden. Try with foie gras and grapes, fish in a sauce such as turbot, blue cheeses…