Vignoble Vade

About

Owner & winemaker: Pierre Adrien Vadé
Vineyards: 30ha, all estate-owned
Vineyard management: Certified organic
Soils: Calcareous clay, tuffeau, sand, flint
Grapes grown: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc
Annual production: 150,000 bottles

Quick facts:

• Pierre Adrien Vadé is the third generation of his family to make wine in the Loire Valley–he recently took over for his father at the estate.
• Vignoble Vadé specializes in the two main grapes of the Loire, Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. They make fruit-forward youthful expressions as well as structured, serious bottlings from single vineyards.
• “Tuffeau” is a chalky soil that’s characteristic of the region. It absorbs heat from the sun during the day and slowly emits it at night, helping the grapes to ripen.

Pierre Adrien Vadé took over the family estate in 2014, becoming the third generation of his family to make wine here. “As the son and grandson of winemakers, my first memories take me back to the apple press where my grandfather taught me to make cider, and later to prepare grilled chestnuts sprinkled with fermenting grape juice,” he tells us. “It’s here, I believe, where my passion for the region and for winemaking was born.” He now has the opportunity to express his own vision of Saumur-Champigny.

This part of the Loire is characterized by its unique tuffeau soil, rich in calcareous clay. It absorbs heat from the sun during the day and slowly emits it at night, helping the grapes to ripen fully so the resulting wines have supple tannins and a fruity character.

In the cellar, Pierre Adrien works with the least intervention possible, with minimal additions. He uses mainly stainless steel tanks, but has also been experimenting with amphora, concrete eggs, and barriques. For the reds, he prefers short macerations without pumpovers to moderate extraction.