PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
Philippe Vatan, now accompanied by his daughter Agathe, oversees this domaine of 20 hectares from a fairytale chateau on the banks of the Loire. Set into the chalk cliffs, which also house the cellars, the chateau is a fitting symbol of the winery’s excellence, achieved over 25 years of incremental improvement. Philippe has gradually moved the domaine to organic farming.

Château du Hureau Saumur-Champigny “Tuffe” cuvée is a blend coming from 15 parcels of old and young Cabernet Franc vines.This Tuffe (pronounced toof)  is a blend from different terroirs scattered around Saumur in the Loire Valley. Here the common denominator is the Tuffeau (the people of Saumur refer to this as “la Tuffe”), which can be found at anything from 1 foot to a couple of yards underneath the surface of the vines. Tuffe or Tuffeau is a local type of limestone found in the Loire Valley, a cretaceous chalk which is fine-grained and very low density, about half the density of granite for instance. Tuffeau is formed from the remnants of the sea floor, it is a sediment of  fossilized sea creatures and sand that covered the Loire Valley over 90 million years ago. Over the millennia, these particles became compressed to form a unique type of limestone. The unique Tuffeau in the Loire is due to the presence of foraminifera, sea creatures with multi-chambered shells.

PRODUCT DETAILS:
Producer Name: Château du Hureau
Old/New World: Old
Country of Origin: France
Region: Loire Valley
Sub-Region: Touraine
Appellation: Saumur-Champigny
Quality Designation: AOC
Grape Varietals: Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2023
Product Type: Wine
Wine Style: Full Body Red Wine 
Viticultural Features: Tuffe is a local type of limestone, cretaceous chalk with fossils, found in the Loire Valley.
Winemaking Techniques: Underground chalk caves carved out from the Tuffeau are perfect for vinification and ageing of their wines with its constant and cool temperature.
Winemaker: Philippe Vatan and his daughter Agathe
ABV: 13.5%
Pack/Size: 12/750
Container Type: dark glass Burgundy-style bottle
Closure Style: cork