Louis de Grenelle
One of the last remaining family-owned sparkling wine houses in Saumur, Louis de Grenelle, owns about 2 kilometers of these caves. All of the sparkling wine produced by the property is stored in deep, cool caverns, many of which were used during World War II by the French resistance. The grapes used to produce the sparkling Saumur and Cremant at Grenelle are grown on the hillsides surrounding the town and in the small hamlets just outside of Saumur. The winemaking at Louis de Grenelle is quite minimalist, the fruit is pressed and flows by gravity into underground tanks at the winery. All of the wines are made in the Champagne method and are aged for their allotted time in the cellars beneath the streets of Saumur. They are bottled with little dosage to preserve the freshness of the Chenin Blanc Chardonnay varieties.
