Divine

Loire

Romorantin

aka Danery, Gros Plant de Villefranche, Pinot Blanc de la Loire

Romorantin grape cluster Loire Valley

Romorantin is the historic, exclusive grape of the Cour-Cheverny AOC, celebrated for its crisp vivacity and extraordinary aging potential.

Cour-Cheverny: Romorantin is the exclusive and rare grape variety behind this singular appellation of the Loire Valley. Preserved in the heart of Sologne, it gives birth to dry white wines of remarkable tension, crystalline minerality, and mesmerizing aromatic complexity.

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The history of Romorantin is deeply intertwined with the French Renaissance. In 1519, King Francis I ordered 80,000 vine cuttings to be brought from Burgundy and planted around his royal manor at Romorantin in Sologne. While the grape vanished from its native Burgundian lands, it found its ultimate sanctuary in the sand, clay, and limestone soils of the Loire Valley.

Modern ampelographic and DNA studies have demonstrated that Romorantin is a natural cross between Pinot Teinturier and Gouais Blanc, making it a sibling of Chardonnay and Aligoté. It also boasts some of France’s oldest ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines still in production today (notably at Domaine Henry Marionnet, with vines planted circa 1850).

Grown on fewer than 80 hectares by a dedicated group of passionate vignerons around Cheverny and Chambord, Romorantin stands as a precious living jewel of French viticultural heritage.

Romorantin

Grape characteristics

The Romorantin grape delivers a flavor profile of rare distinction. In its youth, it shows a luminous pale-gold hue with crisp aromas of white flowers (acacia, hawthorn), green apple, fresh pear, and citrus zest, driven by an incisive acidity and pronounced minerality.

With bottle age, Romorantin reveals its full majesty. After 5 to 15 years in the cellar, its color deepens to rich amber gold, and the bouquet expands with luxurious nuances of acacia honey, beeswax, candied quince, dried apricot, truffles, and toasted hazelnuts. On the palate, its vivid acidity marries seamlessly with a dense, creamy texture and a lingering saline finish, making it an extraordinary partner for fine gastronomy.

Color: White

(Medium intensity)

Acidity: High

Alcohol: Medium

Body: Medium

Will keep: 5 to 15 years

Aromas :

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Appellations using this grape variety

Cour-Cheverny: a one-of-a-kind wine appellation and the exclusive home of Romorantin!

Established in 1997 to recognize dry white wines made 100% from this historic grape variety within the Cheverny region, Cour-Cheverny spans a handful of communes between the Loire River and the ancient forests of Sologne. Its siliceous clay and Beauce limestone soils endow the wine with crystalline purity and legendary aging capacity.

Mainly vinified as a bone-dry white wine—though occasional off-dry or late-harvest sweet styles appear in sunny vintages—Cour-Cheverny is a connoisseur’s wine. It pairs sublimely with Loire freshwater fish in beurre blanc sauce, aged Loire goat cheeses (Selles-sur-Cher, Sainte-Maure de Touraine), or roasted poultry and wild game.

Key figures about

1

of Loire white wines

100

of French vineyard

Stable

Appellations using
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