Touraine 'Marquis de C' 2021, Domaine de la Garrelière

A serious, multi-layered flagship wine from the southern Touraine. The name 'Marquis de C' offers a poetic nod to the Marquis of Carabas from the fable of Puss in Boots. With this cuvée, Pascale and François Plouzeau demonstrate that the unique clay-limestone soils near Richelieu provide an ideal terroir for producing a rich, complex, and deeply mineral Chardonnay.

In the glass, the wine displays a golden hue with rich viscosity. The bouquet opens with aromas of ripe stone fruit, subtle honey, delicate toast, and hints of tropical fruit, balanced by a fresh touch of cultured buttermilk. On the palate, it is opulent, creamy, and mouth-coating. Deep saline minerality and vibrant acidity perfectly counterbalance the wine's natural richness, driving a long, pure, and complex finish.

Key Highlights

• Terroir: 100% Chardonnay sourced from 30-year-old vines planted on a ridge near Richelieu (Touraine, Loire) on flinty clay soils over a solid limestone bedrock.
• Winemaking & Ageing: Hand-harvested with strict selection. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place in oak barrels (25% new oak, 75% lightly toasted neutral oak). Aged sur-lie in large 500-liter oak casks to develop a creamy texture.
• Sustainability: Certified organic (ECOCERT) and biodynamically farmed. Bottled under natural wine principles: unfiltered and with minimal added sulfites.
• Tasting Profile: Opulent, creamy, and mineral-driven. Notes of ripe fruit, honey, subtle toast, tropical accents, buttermilk, and a deep saline texture.
• Ageing Potential: Accessible and harmonious now, with the structural balance to cellar gracefully over 3 to 5 years.

Food Pairing

• Fish & Seafood: Outstanding alongside butter-pan-seared sole, grilled scallops, and richer sea fish preparations.
• Poultry & Pasta: Excellent match for creamy pasta dishes with poultry, wild chanterelles, or morels.
• Cheese: Ideal with mature, soft white-mould cheeses and semi-hard monastic cheeses.
• Serving Suggestion: Best served chilled between 10°C and 12°C in generous Burgundy crystal glasses.

The Terroir of Richelieu

The estate sits on a breezy ridge just outside Richelieu in the southernmost part of Touraine. The synergy between flinty clay and limestone allows Chardonnay vines to achieve rich fruit ripeness while preserving crisp, saline minerality. This microclimate yields a rare Loire Chardonnay that effortlessly stands shoulder-to-shoulder with fine Burgundian benchmarks.

About Domaine de la Garrelière

Domaine de la Garrelière is managed by Pascale and François Plouzeau. Since 1985, they have farmed their 18-hectare estate organically and biodynamically. François relies heavily on intuition and sensory perception in both vineyard care and cellar work. Guided by low-intervention natural winemaking, the Plouzeaus create authentic, vibrant terroir wines of genuine character and finesse.