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LOIRE VALLEY<br />
DISCOVERY<br />
DOMAINE DES CLAVIÈRES:<br />
A CLASSIC SCORE<br />
THE DAVY FAMILY IN THE CELLAR<br />
At the end of the 16th century, Dutch traders<br />
channelled a tributary of the Loire called the<br />
Layon in order to facilitate trade in wines that<br />
were already suitable for transportation and<br />
could be kept for a long time. These are the<br />
historical origins of the present-day, storied<br />
Coteaux du Layon appellation, whose heritage is<br />
currently safeguarded by three hundred producers<br />
and negociants who market over 5 million<br />
bottles a year. For seven generations, the Davy<br />
family has farmed vines in Saint-Lambert-du-<br />
Lattay, now part of the village of Val-du-Layon.<br />
In its Vieux Pressoir cellar, it produces wines<br />
covering a broad spectrum of styles, including<br />
several labels under the famed appellation<br />
where overripe Chenin grapes are harvested.<br />
Since 2013, it has sold one in particular under<br />
the Domaine des Clavières label, via a local<br />
trading company. The 2022 vintage was tasted<br />
and got a vote of approval from Gilbert & Gaillard.<br />
It is typical of the appellation’s entry-level<br />
wines, which are generous even with low price<br />
tags. The colour is golden and the nose complex.<br />
Once on the palate, the wine shows mouth-filling<br />
softness yet also lots of nuance and freshness,<br />
all for a retail price of around 10 euros a<br />
bottle. This is an excellent way to discover this<br />
complex appellation which offers sweet wines<br />
delivering very complex aromatics and ageability<br />
that can range from five years to a good<br />
half-century!<br />
DOMAINE LAVIGNE:<br />
THE PERFECT APTRONYM<br />
This is one aptly-named winery if ever there was<br />
one! Three generations of Lavignes – aka ‘the<br />
vine’ – have focused and still focus on wine in<br />
Varrains, South of Saumur, along the left bank<br />
of the Loire. Pascale Véron, whose maiden name<br />
was Lavigne, works with her husband Antoine.<br />
90 WINTER 2023 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE