Coteaux du Layon Saint Lambert Domaine Ogereau 1988

Lot presentation

Coteaux du Layon Saint Lambert Domaine Ogereau 1988

The wine

In Val-du-Layon, south of Angers, you’ll find the 24-hectare Ogereau estate, which has been certified organic since 2019.
Under the aegis of Vincent Ogereau, the estate has forged a reputation for itself since the 1980s by producing wines that offer a remarkably precise reflection of the terroir.
This Côteaux-du-Layon Saint-Lambert embodies the estate’s ancestral know-how, showcasing the over-ripe Chenin concentrated by noble rot. This sweet wine from sandstone and schist soils, in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay, expresses all the freshness of the Loire. The autumn mists encourage the development of botrytis, which is crucial to the wine's complexity.
Meticulous harvesting of over-ripe grapes and numerous stages of sorting ensure a balance between freshness and aromatic intensity. Ageing in vats and barrels preserves the purity of the fruit. On the palate, this sweet wine shows a harmonious combination of the sweetness from the botrytis, the acidity of the Chenin and the bitterness of the schist terroir.

This family domain, founded in the 19th century, is now run by Emmanuel Ogereau, the fifth generation of vintners to craft wine at the estate. But this is a history that goes “beyond them, the history of an ancient wine growing area and the birthplace of Chenin”. The vines are cultivated organically with some biodynamic methods used, putting soil life in a central place for their work. Both dry and dessert wines are made here, and whilst it’s the latter that has built the estate’s reputation in recent times, Emmanuel Ogereau’s terroir-driven, single-parcel approach is moving the spotlight back to dry wines. A Loire signature to keep an eye on.