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Loire Valley

Château de la Bonnelière, Chinon

Château de la Bonnelière, Chinon
Adopt a vine and make your own organic wine in Chinon, Loire Valley, France Rent-a-vine in the Loire Valley, La Revue du Vin de France Wine Guide Château de la Bonnelière, Chinon Loire Valley, France, Le Guide Hachette des Vins de France 2022 Wine Guide Gilbert Gaillard My Wine Guide Château Bonnelière Chinon Loire Guide Bettane+Desseauve 2022
  

The Winery

Château de la Bonnelière is located in a small hamlet near the medieval fortress town of Chinon, and has been in the Plouzeau family since 1846.  The giant cedar tree in the grounds outdates the family however, having being planted for the coronation of Louis XVI in 1774!

Today, Château de la Bonnelière has 19 hectares of vines, all of which are organically certified by Ecocert.  The vines are located in the vineyard next to the Château, and in various other plots around Chinon.  The initial fermentation and ageing of the white wines is conducted in the adjacent winery buildings, whilst the ageing of the red wines takes place in the stunning underground cellar, located in the centre of Chinon underneath the Chinon castle itself.  The cellar was conceived in the 13th century at the same time as the Château, the stone from which was used in the construction of the castle.  You can still see the shaft that was used to extract the stone blocks!

The cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc vines at Château de la Bonnelière are used to make two of the Loire valley’s most well known wines, AOC Chinon and AOC Tourraine.

A multitude of awards and reviews have been bestowed on the wines from Château de la Bonnelière over the years.  The 2022 Bettane+Desseauve guide highlighted Marc Plouzeau, the owner and winemaker at Château de la Bonnelière as being one of the pioneers of organic winemaking in Chinon, and awarded 91/100 for both his 2018 Chapelle red wine and his 2019 Silice white wine.

Château de la Bonnelière was selected by the Guide Hachette des Vins 2022, “a safe bet in the Chinon winemaking world,” for their 2019 La Roche red wine.  “A mineral touch develops into a rich fruity wine that marries well with the soft tannins and mellow oak.  A classic and refined Chinon wine.”  

Adopt a vine at Château de la Bonnelière and get involved in making your own wine with the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience

Region

The Loire Valley, is one of the most visited regions of France, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its chateaux, gastronomy and wines.  The wine growing regions of the Loire valley stretch from Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre in the east, through appellations such as Cheverny, Vouvray, Chinon and Bourgueil in the centre, to the Anjou, Saumur and Muscadet wines in the west.

The difference in grape varieties and terroir throughout the Loire Valley make for a very varied wine region that produces a wide range of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines.

 Original Wine Gift for a Wine Enthusiast. Meet Marc Plouzeau, the winemaker at Château de la Bonnelière, Chinon, the Loire Valley.

The Winemakers Welcome You...

Marc Plouzeau took over the running of Château de la Bonnelière in 1998.  Much to the bewilderment of his neighbouring winemakers, he launched straight into the long and arduous task of converting the entirety of the vineyards to being certified organic.  But for Marc, there was no other conceivable way of making wine that truly expresses the nature of the surrounding terroir.

From our first meeting with Marc, his passion and enthusiasm for talking about his wines and work were infectious.   A genuine winemaker who will welcome you with open arms.

Oragnic Wine Gift. Personalised wine bottles of Château de la Bonnelière, AOC Chinon 

Clos de la Bonnelière 

The wine chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience is the Clos de la Bonnelière AOC Chinon organic red wine, made 100% from the vibrant Cabernet Franc grape varietal.  


As with the rest of the vineyard, the vines used to make the Clos de la Bonnelière are organically certified by Ecocert. 
The Clos de la Bonnelière AOC Chinon is a generous wine with strong tannins.  It has a deep ruby colour with violet reflections. The principal aromas, typically found, are raspberry and blackberry together with more spicy notes of mint and pepper. 
The wine is fermented naturally without adding yeast and other enzymes, and is matured in oak barrels in the cellar underneath the Château de Chinon.

Characteristics
> Wine - Red, Chinon
> Grape varietals – Cabernet Franc
> Vineyard size – 3ha
> Soil – Clay Limestone
> Style – An elegant and rich wine. Red fruits and peppery mint tones
> Keeps – 3-7 years
> Ideal with – Roast Beef, Coq au vin...

Availability of the wine
The wine is bottled 14-18 months after the harvest.


Directions

Address

Château de la Bonnelière, 1 rue des Basses Vignes, Launay, 37500 La Roche Clermault
GPS : LAT N 47°06'54.13", LONG E 0°13'51.48"
Map : Click here for map  

By Plane

The closest airport is Tours, a one hour drive away, which is currently operating flights to Dublin and London with Ryanair.  More destinations, such as Geneva, Amsterdam, Nottingham, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Barcelona, Madrid and Milan are served through Nantes airport, just over two hours away by car.  Alternatively the Paris Orly airport is 3 hours drive away, serving most European destinations.      

By Car
The distances and times below are estimated using GoogleMaps from the city centre to Château de la Bonnelière, 1 rue des Basses Vignes, Launay, 37500 La Roche Clermault.   To find out distances and times from other destinations, please click on this link

 

Depart

KM

Miles

Time

Rennes 292  182 3h 04
Paris 305  189  3h 12
Bordeaux 325  202  3h 23
Calais 563 350 5h 27
Toulouse 564  351  5h 27
Lyon 562  349  5h 32
Brussels 610  379  6h 02
Geneva 629 391  6h 41
Marseille 833 517  7h 48
Barcelona 956  594  8h 53
Milan 988  614  9h 49

Accommodation

Price NameAddressDistance to Winery
72-90€ Hôtel le Plantagenêt

12 Place Jeanne d'Arc, 37500 Chinon

+33 (0)2 47 93 36 92

7km / 5m
70-90€ Hôtel Diderot

4 rue du Buffon, 37500 Chinon

+33 (0)2 47 93 18 87

hoteldiderot@wanadoo.fr 

8km / 5m
59-85€ Le Noissillet

9 Chemin du Noisillet, 37500 Cinais

+33 (0)2 47 95 97 28

noisillet@wanadoo.fr 

11km / 10m
85-105€ Hôtel Imago

1 Impasse du Haut Clos, 37500 La Roche-Clermault

+33 (0)2 47 93 68 35

8km / 5m
110€ Le Clos de Ligré

22 Rue du Rouilly, 37500 Ligré

+33 (0)2 47 93 95 59

descamps.ligre@gmail.com 

3km / 2m
139-299€ Château de Marçay

Marçay, 37500 Chinon

+33 (0)2 47 93 03 47

contact@chateaudemarcay.com 

3km / 2m

Restaurants

Prix NameAddressDistance to Winery
24 - 70 € Les Années 30

78 rue Haute Saint Maurice, 37500 Chinon
http://www.lesannees30.com/

+33 (0)2 47 93 37 18 

8km / 5m
28 - 50 € Auberge du Val de Vienne

30 route Chinon, 37220 Sazilly

http://www.aubergeduvaldevienne.com/ 

+33 (0)2 47 95 26 49

13km / 8m
28 - 50 € Au Chapeau Rouge

49 place du Général de Gaulle, 37500 Chinon

www.auchapeaurouge.fr
+33 (0)2 47 95 89 81

8km / 5m
35 -  100 € Château de Marçay Marçay, 37500 Chinon
www.chateaudemarcay.com
+33 (0)2 47 93 03 47
3km / 2m

Parking

There is parking at the winery.


Near By Attractions

  • Château de Chinon – Discover the recently renovated 12th century Royal Fortress that stands majestically above the town of Chinon

  • Other Loire Valley Châteaux – Tour the many world famous Châteaux of the Loire valley that are within easy reach such as the Château d’Ussé, Château de Villandry, Château de Saumur, and Château d’Azay le Rideau.  The Loire Valley is classified a UNESCO World Heritage site for the many châteaux that were once used as summer retreats and hunting lodges for the French Royal circle

  • Wine Tours – Visit the rolling vineyards and underground cellars of the Loire Valley, the closest other wine producing areas to Chinon being Bourgeuil, Saumur-Champigny, Touraine, Azay le Rideau and Vouvray.

Links to local Tourist Offices

Loire Valley Tourist Office: https://www.valdeloire-tourisme.fr/
Office de Tourisme de Chinon : https://www.azay-chinon-valdeloire.com/en/



Agrandir le plan
 The Guide Hachette 2022 Wine Guide

The organic wines from the winery rewarded by the 2022 wine guides

Another good year for this winery which received praise from many of the guides.

Château de la Bonnelière was selected by the 2022 Guide Hachette des Vins, “a safe bet in the Chinon winemaking world,” for their 2019 La Roche red wine.  “A mineral touch develops into a rich fruity wine that marries well with the soft tannins and mellow oak.  A classic and refined Chinon wine."

The 2022 Bettane+Desseauve guide highlighted Marc Plouzeau, the owner and winemaker at Château de la Bonnelière as being one of the pioneers of organic winemaking in Chinon, and awarded 91/100 for both his 2018 Chapelle red wine and his 2019 Silice white wine.

Well done!

1 - Product

2 - Range

3 - Region

4 - Producer

5 - Season

6 - Vines

7 - Experience Days

(find out more)

From 169 €

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