Le Manoir de la Tête Rouge : Starting over for a more organic dynamic

Located on the hill of Puy Notre Dame, in Maine-et-Loire, the manor of Tête Rouge is the highest point of the saumurois. Although the manor was built in 1649, Guillaume Reynouard only acquired the property in 1995. Today, we explain how the winegrower decided to engage in environmentally friendly agriculture.

An old estate from organic farming to biodynamics!

When he arrived, the soils had not been worked for more than 30 years, so it was difficult to maintain them. This idea from organic farming for Guillaume, "it's good farming sense". The vineyard is located at the foot of a hill, the vines are planted on the best clay-limestone soils of the Saumur region. A balanced soil that allows the fruit to remain intact and therefore limits the products used. The clay retains freshness and the limestone has filtering properties.

In 1998, his conversion to organic farming was made official by the Ecocert certification, which applies when a winegrower uses neither chemicals nor GMOs, and includes recycling in his production. His first vintage called "organic" was made in 2001, so he is quite a precursor on the subject of organic.

His conversion to biodynamics He is certified by Biodyvin, which gathers more than 192 wineries respecting the specifications of the international union of winegrowers in biodynamic culture. His goal is to take care of the balance of the land and the vine, to preserve the ecosystems and let the wine express all the dimensions of its terroir.

DISCOVER THE VINTAGES OF THE MANOIR DE LA TÊTE ROUGE

A vineyard left to the abandonment, to start again from zero

In 1995, the Domaine covered 10 hectares, including the Encentoir parcel. The story begins here! Today, the Manoir de la Tête Rouge has more than 30 hectares of vines of Pineau d'Aunis, a grape variety Guillaume has planted this rare, forgotten and "wrongly" denigrated grape variety on his estate. The winemaker has made several restorations of the manor to make it a home and a winery.

Guillaume encountered a problem: the vines could not bear the cutting of the superficial roots. So he had to find solutions, and organic farming was one of them. The natural grassing of the inter-rows by mowing only once before the harvest so that the species can develop, was also a solution. For him, the presence of plants and insects is important to preserve the balance of the terroir.

Manual harvesting and plowing of the soil are for Guillaume, the key to obtaining quality wines. Today, the yields of the vineyard are very positive and regular thanks to the know-how of the winemaker. But he still insists on making an "elitist" selection of grapes in order to guarantee the high quality of his vintages.

DISCOVER THE VINTAGES OF THE MANOIR DE LA TÊTE ROUGE

The anecdotes of the Manor

Funny name for a vineyard! But the owner assures that the manor is only haunted by the spirit of sharing, rigor and the taste of quality.

Guillaume has chosen to join the AMAP (association for the maintenance of peasant agriculture). Mainly, the domain practices a consumption from its local protectors, always with the objective to be closer to the environment, and respect nature.

The greatest pleasure of the winemaker and his teams is to welcome his customers for a visit of the vineyard and a tasting. So don't hesitate to visit him: he will be delighted!

DISCOVER THE VINTAGES OF THE MANOIR DE LA TÊTE ROUGE

Manon (Les Grappes)

From September 15th to October 17th, the Wine Fair is coming to Les Grappes!

For this essential September event, Les Grappes has been busy for several weeks concocting a homemade selection of our best vintages! No more "we have nothing left to drink", renew your cellar to attack the new year and accompany your most beautiful apple pies.

For the occasion, come and discover wines from French winemakers with beautiful stories. This selection is exclusively composed of our best organic, natural and biodynamic wines. As always at Les Grappes, we have at heart to highlight the sale in short circuit.

Treat yourself and enjoy aperitifs with friends or family meals at home.

Enjoy the wines of our 1,200 referenced winegrowers all over France, the opportunity for you to discover terroirs and stories! All the wines are delivered directly from the estates.