Chateau de Bonnezeaux’s history begins in the early 19th century, where its celebrated sweet Chenins helped put Anjou on the map. Amid contractual scuffles and the continuing decline in the sweet wine market, its prize vineyards lay abandoned since the 1980s, falling into ruin.

In 2012, Guyonne Saclier de la Batie took over this dilapidated estate. She arrived to find a blank canvas of immaculate Anjou terroir; its abandonment meant she was able to start with no chemicals in the soil. With strict organic and sustainable farming, she set about revitalising and expanding the ancient vineyards, employing the teachings of low-intervention Anjou heroes Mark Angeli and Stephane Bernaudeau.

Following their example, the Chateau has embraced the humble ‘Vin de France’ label, making dry wines in a historically sweet appellation. Winemaker Pierre Boisseau uses minimal sulphur and traditional mechanical equipment to create powerful, characterful Chenin Blanc, leaning into the complexity and intensity that the terroir permits. Bottled unfiltered and unfined, they combine a rich, honeyed-apple waxiness with floral lift and electric acidity.

The wines are pure expressions of everything that Chenin does best, with the stuffing to develop further depths with age. Tiny yields and limited production make them hard to find; if you`re a fellow Chenin nut, don`t sleep on them. (NR 19/06/2025)