Domaine du Moulin de L'Horizon

Just outside Le Puy-Notre-Dame itself , the little called "the Mill on the Horizon" is actually the highest point in the local landscape , at about 120 metres !

We're in the real heart of the Saumur wine appellation here , and the area will soon have its very own "appellation" so our wines will have the honour ( with other growers ) of being labelled "Saumur Puy Notre Dame " , something very special indeed for a French winegrower .

We grow our wines on 32 hectares of land which is an alkaline clay , with sandy , pebbly soil.

The different grape varieties are divided up as follows :

   Cabernet Franc             14 hectares
   Cabernet Sauvigon         3 hectares
   Chenin                            9 hectares
   Chardonnay                    5 hectares
   Sauvigon                       0,3 hectare

All our wine is of a guaranteed high quality , and the grapes are traceable because of our systeme  of registering where each part of the harvest was grown . We practise what is called in France "agriculture raisonnable" , avoiding all unnecessary use of chemical and non-natural products .

All our sparking wines (called "Methode Traditionnelle ", which is the same system used for champagne) are also made here on-site, including fermentation, blending and botting. We use a second fermentation "in bottle" to produce the light, sparking bubbles which give its name.

The sparkling wine needs regular turning in boootle, and a process called "degorgement" which insolves freezing the top of the bottle to pop out the sediment caused by the fermentation, and topping it up with fresh wine before the bottles are finally closed.