Château Du Petit Thouars

The history of the estate

Château du Petit Thouars and its vineyard were purchased in 1634 by Georges Aubert, a gentleman in the service of Cardinal Richelieu. Georges Aubert became the first lord of the château, making it a part of winegrowing history by handing it down from generation to generation.

The descendants of the Petit Thouars family were, for many, adventurers and free spirits, the ideal character traits to instill in the rest of the family the attitude needed to tame a vineyard. However, the estate remained under-active until the 20th century.

In 1975, Yves, former General Manager of Cristalleries de Baccarat, relaunched the winery. After years of hard work and passion, the château's wines won awards and acclaim in France, the United States and China. His son Sébastien took over the family business in 2008, developing the commercial and marketing aspects of the estate.

The Château du Petit Thouars estate is located in Indre-et-Loire, on a hillside terroir overlooking the Vienne river. The vineyard is planted exclusively with Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Most of the wines are produced in AOC Chinon, which is characterized for producing aromatic wines marked by fruit and minerality.

Since 2016 Château du Petit Thouars has been in AOC Chinon, and they began their organic conversion in 2019. The first organic vintage is therefore 2022. Their approach preserves and stimulates the ecosystem: The vines are inside and just outside the Château grounds, so they make sure to limit inputs as much as possible, especially as a beekeeper has hives on the estate, and the animals often come to lie and feed in the grounds. The grapes are harvested by hand, and they always seek the greatest possible ripeness, which in turn enables them to make harmonious, gourmet wines. Cuvée Les Georges is a 100% Cabernet Franc cuvée, aged in stainless steel vats. Named Les Georges after all the men in the family, this cuvée is a pleasurable, fruity, easy-drinking wine that will delight lovers of bistros, friendly table settings and good French food. It goes well with charcuterie, grilled meats, Petit Salé with lentils, Hachis Parmentier and other brasserie classics. Cuvée L'Epée (100% Cabernet Franc) is a more structured wine, aged for an average of 18 months. Fine and delicate, these wines can be enjoyed now and will develop over 7 to 10 years. They are the perfect accompaniment to a Milanese osso bucco, a fine rack of pork, Sunday roast chicken, goat's cheese and hard cheeses (Comté, Ossau Iraty) and red fruit desserts. Cuvée Amiral wines (100% Cabernet Franc) are powerful, long-keeping wines, aged 24 months in two- to three-wine barrels. They are the perfect accompaniment to fine cuts of red meat or game, goat and hard cheeses (Comté, Ossau Iraty) and desserts with black fruit or Tonka beans. Le Clos is a 100% Chenin Blanc cuvée made from a plot within the château grounds. Hand-harvested, this Chenin, aged in 3-wine oak barrels, is the perfect accompaniment to seafood, scallops, white fish, poultry and white meats, as well as goat's cheese. Les Foux is a traditional rosé method 100% Cabernet Franc, aged 9 months on lath. This Brut is not dosed, and does not suffer when disgorged, bringing a fruity, joyful and fresh note to your aperitifs or desserts.