Château de Fosse-Sèche
A magnificent wine estate dating from the Middle Ages, now managed organically.
The origins of the Château de Fosse-Sèche go back to the Middle Ages. The estate's vocation as a winegrower dates back to the time of the Benedictine order, which planted the first vines there over 800 years ago.
If some of the installations of the time have unfortunately been destroyed over time, such as the old tunnels linking the Château de Fosse-Sèche to the priory, others are testimonies of these long centuries of existence. Among them, and not the least for a wine estate, are the wine vats dating from the Middle Ages, which are among the oldest masonry vats in France, but also a 16th century castle wall, a communal oven as well as a chapel and a dovecote from the same period.
The beginning of the 20th century at Château de Fosse-Sèche marked the wine world with the birth of the Cabernet d'Anjou. Indeed, in 1905, Mr Paul Taveau, winemaker and owner of the estate at that time, experimented with new winemaking techniques which led him to create what has now become the only soft rosé PDO wine in France: Cabernet d'Anjou! This discovery earned him two prizes at the 1905 and 1910 World's Fairs in Liege and Brussels.
Today, the estate is run by two passionate people, twin brothers Guillaume and Adrien Pire and their respective partners. It is in a family atmosphere that the two couples work and live at Fosse-Sèche since 2012 with a common goal: to share their passion for wine and nature. Together, they give birth to wines with a strong identity from this exceptional terroir.
The family has actually owned the estate since 1998. Two years earlier, Guillaume and Adrien, their mother Françoise and their father-in-law Ueli left their vineyard in Madagascar and travelled through France in search of a vineyard to settle in and make it a place where respect for the fauna and flora is a priority.
As soon as they arrived at Fosse-Sèche, it was love at first sight: they fell in love with the place. Faithful to their commitments, the two brothers, accompanied by their partners, began the process of converting the estate to biodynamic farming in 2013. The application of bio-dynamic principles allows the soil to be energised and thus promotes its fertility by making the vine plants more resistant. Biodynamic practices tend towards the abolition of all oenological inputs as well as the use of any practice aimed at modifying the natural balance of the grapes.
Thanks to all the efforts made by the couple, the estate is now certified organic. Birds, animals, insects, batrachians and bats have now found refuge there. Fosse-Sèche has become a real ecosystem.
Let's go back to the estate's cellar. While it houses classic barrels, there is also an impressive row of 11 ovoid vats. This original shape was inspired by the large terracotta jars found in ancient times, which were used as wine, oil or grain tanks. Designed according to the regulating lines of the golden ratio and made of clay concrete, the ovoid vats allow micro-oxygenation of the wines in the same way as in barrels, but without wood, for greater respect of the fruit, thus allowing more fruity aromas and fatness on the palate during tasting. These rather special vats finally allow us to go further in the purity of the wine, to gain in precision, while being the least interventionist possible.
Let's now move on to the grape varieties of the estate. Still in this approach of respecting the terroir, only 15 hectares are planted out of the 45 hectares that the estate offers. Of these 15 hectares, 8 are planted with Cabernet Franc and 1 ha with Cabernet Sauvignon for the reds and 5.5 ha with Chenin and 0.5 ha with Chardonnay for the whites.
The location of the vineyard is slightly convex and therefore provides a cool and windy exposure for the vines. Added to the warm soil due to the effect of the flint, this gives the wines of Fosse-Sèche a very particular straightness.
The different vintages available in our cellar:
Château de Fosse-Sèche - De But en Blanc: Fermented in barrels and aged on lees for 36 months, this 100% chenin sweet wine (200 g residual sugar per litre), not chaptalised, is very aromatic, combining dry fruit, noble rot and lees characteristics in perfect harmony; rich, long and deep on the palate. It can be kept for 30 to 50 years.
Château de Fosse-Sèche - Eolithe: The result of a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on old vines, some of which are more than 60 years old, and 14 months' maturing on lees in vats, this wine is the expression par excellence of the Jurassic siliceous terroir. The fruit is fully present, with a high concentration. It can be kept for 20 to 30 years.
Château de Fosse-Sèche - Gondwana: Also made from old vines over 60 years old and aged for 14 months on lees, this time in ovoid vats, this 100% Cabernet Franc red wine develops finesse with extremely supple tannins. It can be kept for 30 years.
Château de Fosse-Sèche - Réserve du Pigeonnier: With the same attributes as Gondwana, the plot selection on which an extreme reduction in yield is carried out, gives it a richness, depth and incredible density. It also has a 30-year ageing potential.
Château de Fosse-Sèche - Les Tris de la Chapelle: A very aromatic wine, combining fruit, noble rot and lees characters, all in perfect harmony thanks to a dry white vinification and 12 months of barrel ageing. A rich, complex and powerful wine with a long ageing potential of 30 to 40 years.
Château de Fosse-Sèche - Laurasie: Aged for 14 months on the lees in ovoid vats, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon red wine has a fine, aromatic, tannic texture.
Most of the wines of Château de Fosse-Sèche have an exceptional ageing potential of up to 50 years. All of them flirt with the natural style but offer us purity, precision, frankness of fruit but above all the passion and generosity of these two passionate brothers.
CHÂTEAU DE FOSSE-SÈCHE - Saumur - different cuvées and vintages available.
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