Stretching from Nantes to the very centre of France, the Loire Valley is one of the largest and most diverse regions, producing dry, sweet, white, rosé, red and sparkling wines. To the very western edge, at the mouth of the Loire River, the appellation of Muscadet is heavily influenced by the Atlantic ocean. The moderate temperatures and wet conditions are ideal for the production of dry, crisp white wine and make the perfect pairing for local seafood. Further inland, the climate becomes more drier and more diurnal, where white wines produced from Chenin Blanc and red wines produced from Cabernet Franc, dominate. Chenin Blanc styles range from dry to sweet to sparkling, with notable regions such as Vouvray, Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume most celebrated for quality and longevity. Cabernet Franc styles can vary from light and fresh to full bodied and fruit-driven, with the villages of Chinon, Anjou and Saumur well-known for quality rosé and red wine production. At the most Eastern edge of the Loire Valley is where the famous appellations Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé can be found. Both regions are renowned for clean and mineral expressions of Sauvignon Blanc, with neighbouring Menetou-Salon producing a similar, although lesser known, offering.

Alongside Jacques Genet, talented Anne-Charlotte his daughter and Kevin Fontaine the oenologue of the domaine have been running Charles Joguet for more than 10 years. The domain, in phase with the rhythm of the seasons and to the natural cycle of the vine, with a marked respect for nature and tradition. Today the domain covers 36 hectares (ha) of A.O.C. Chinon vines, exclusively planted in Cabernet France and 3 ha of A.O.C. Touraine, planted in Chenin Blanc, or Pineau de la Loire.

At the foot of the gravelly terrace, partly formed by the erosion of the limestone slope, this very special siliceous-clay and silico-limestone terroir is located on the left bank of the Vienne, in Sazilly.
These four and a half hectares of vines planted between 1962 and 1976 have an average yield of 40 hl/ha.

Cold pre-fermentation maceration (10°C) for 10 days, a minimum of 4 weeks of vatting, vinification temperatures below 21°C and numerous well-adapted pump-overs (watering of the cap of marc) and pigeage (cap of marc formed in the upper part of the vat and pushed into the liquid part) are necessary to reveal the complexity of this cuvee.
At the end of the alcoholic fermentation, free-run wines and the best press wines are blended for malolactic fermentation in barrels. The French oak barrels that accompany the maturation of Varennes du Grand Clos are partially renewed each year to obtain a melted and integrated maturation.
The barrel stock is composed of a few new barrels and barrels of 1 to 4 wines.
This cuvée continues its maturation in our cellars, in oak barrels for 15 to 16 months depending on the vintage.
After racking and the final blending between the barrels, Les Varennes du Grand Clos will be aged en masse (the wine will rest in the vat) for 6 months, before being bottled and marketed.
Long-keeping wines, the Varennes nevertheless assert themselves from their youth by their finesse and elegance.