Coteaux du Layon Chaume

Chaume wines are sweet white wines from the Loire Valley. A high-quality vineyard, the Chaume appellation had a brief existence from 2003 to 2009, plagued by successive legal battles. Since 1950, Chaume had been a village designation within the Coteaux du Layon appellation. The Chaume appellation was first obtained in 2003 with the designation "Premier Cru." The 2002, 2003, and 2004 vintages were thus marketed under the Chaume-Premier Cru des Coteaux du Layon appellation. A ruling by the Council of State on July 27, 2005, overturned this recognition on the grounds that the designation "Premier Cru" gave the impression of a hierarchy in relation to neighboring wines. The Chaume Premier Cru des Coteaux du Layon appellation therefore only existed for wines from the 2002, 2003, and 2004 vintages. It was replaced by the Chaume appellation by decree on February 21, 2007. However, on March 30, 2009, the Council of State once again canceled the AOC, criticizing it for weakening the reputation of the Quarts-de-Chaume AOC. Since the 2009 vintage, the wines have once again been produced under the Coteaux-du-Layon Chaume appellation.

This vineyard, formerly classified as an AOC, covers an area of 70 hectares in the commune of Rochefort-sur-Loire with an annual production of no more than 1,100 hectoliters. The wine is made exclusively from Chenin grapes and benefits from noble rot. The grapes are harvested manually when overripe, in successive passes. The wine has a deep yellow to golden color. Chaume wine can be kept for around ten years, or even much longer depending on the vintage. Within the appellation, the wine produced by Château de la Roulerie stands out.