In the soft folds of western France, where the Loire River begins to linger and yearn toward the Atlantic, Anjou whispers its legacy—a name redolent of courtly intrigue, Chenin elegance, and the tender, almost buttery light that bathed the region even in the days of René of Anjou, the 15th-century rhapsodist-duke and one-time King of Naples. Rooted in the historic capital of Angers, this land has never truly surrendered its lyricism—its wines, like its past, seem forever suspended between clarity and complexity. One might be tempted to reduce Anjou to the realm of sweet rosés on lazy summer tables, yet such an approach misses the quiet depth of its schists and tuffeaux. From dry, tensile whites composed of Chenin Blanc to more voluptuous crus that cradle residual sugars in mineral tension, Anjou prefers suggestion to statement. The deep cellars of the Layon valley, once quarries for white stone châteaux, now rest the late-harvest wines that have become hallmarks of patience and precision. And while autumn is its season of glory—when mists wrap the vines like silk—spring offers unexpected clarity through the vines’ first green murmur. Perhaps linger after a rain, where the scent of wild mint eclipses the clichés and the limestone exhales anew.
Curious to delve deeper into Anjou’s many expressions? Let yourself be guided by the stories tucked within our other features.
Somewhere between a Loire Valley morning mist and the loamy pages of a Balzac novel, a white wine with lineage and just the right salinity…
Located south of the city of Angers, Anjou is one of the most important wine regions of the Loire Valley. Extending largely over the department…