Chateau de Fesles, Bonnezeaux
Château de Fesles which is in the village of Thouarcé was built nearly 1000 years ago on the summit of one of the four hills that now make up the Bonnezeaux appellation. With 33ha of vines, including 14ha of AC Bonnezeaux (the largest holding of anyone) it is, without doubt, the best known estate in the area.
A dessert wine with intense floral and stone fruit aromas in its youth; candied fruit and spice notes plus honey and nuts develop with maturity – which can be 30 years. Opulent, complex and full-bodied.
About the Producer
Chateau de Fesles
Pierre-Jean Sauvion, a fourth generation winemaker, has spent time in both California and Australia. Back in Anjou he now vinifies wines, under the ‘La Chapelle’ label, right through the spectrum from whites to reds, completely dry to very sweet and on to sparkling.
The proximity of the River Layon and its morning mists favour the development of Botrytis or Noble Rot, to concentrate the grapes so as to produce Bonnezeaux, one of the greatest dessert wines in the world. The grapes – from Chenin Blanc vines with an average age of 50 years- are hand-picked over the course of usually six ‘tries’ and the wine is matured for 15 months in oak barrels. The result has fabulous length and serious long-term cellaring potential.
