Clos Galerne is a 10-hectare wine estate in the heart of the best terroirs of Anjou Noir. It is made up of plots in Pierre Bise and Moulin Brûlé both in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, and in Savennières and Chaume.
Myrtille and Cédric Bourez moved to Anjou with their four children out of love for the land. Cédric, relied on his diploma in oenology and viticulture and his experience working in two domains in Côte de Provence, when they chose exceptional terroirs for their wine estate. The Domaine was born in 2018 after a visit to Anjou, the landscape, its light, meeting the local growers, triggered it all… It was love at first sight!
Le Clos Galerne makes a reference to the Virée de Galerne, a military operation during the French Revolutionary Wars when thousands of civilians, women, children and old people, crossed the Loire near Anjou from September to December of 1793, after traveling thousands of kilometers in the very harsh winter conditions, fighting the brutal ‘gwalarn’ (northwest wind), same one that keeps the family company during the hours of winter pruning. On September 19, 1793, the Vendée army pushed back the Republicans to the gates of Angers. This famous battle took place on the slopes of the estate, at the Moulin Brûlé .
The estate is made up of the most beautiful 4 diversified terroirs of Anjou, consists of slate, sandy shale, spilite and Phtanite. Chenin Blanc is dominant with small amounts of Cabernet and Gamay. Organic farming is a way of life for the Bourez family, it represents their respect to nature, time and the history of the place. Minimal tillage is applied in the vineyards, allowing the natural cover crop to grow and provide organic matter and nutrients to the vines. Green harvest is practiced in order to control the yield, harvest is done by hand using only small boxes.
In the cellar, slow fermentation with indigenous yeast only, followed by long aging, on fine lees, in used barrels, allowing micro-oxygenation.