Chateau de Coulaine that goes well with Mild And Soft Cheese

   
Located in Loire · France

Château de Coulaine is a family estate with a long history – the current castle was built by Jehan de Garguesalles in 1470 and evidence exists to suggest that vines have been grown here since that time.

In the early 18th century harvest diaries compiled by Henri Quirit de Coulaine suggest that vine growing was of great importance at that time. However, the Chinon vineyards were ravaged by phylloxera in the 19th century – and that could well have been the end of the story.

A few plots survived, however, and when the Denys de Bonnaventure family acquired the estate in the 20th century they set about restoring the vineyard to full health. Jacques Denys de Bonnaventure, grandfather of current winemaker Jean Denys de Bonnaventure, used grafts from old vines to create his new plots and became the first to claim wines of the Chinon appellation in doing so.

Jacques’ parents Etienne and Pascale later managed the estate for around 30 years, developing and replanting further while also modernising the estate's practices – in 1994, they became the first vinegrowers in Chinon to convert to organic practices. Jacques and wife Tatiana took over the family estate in 2017, continuing the story by producing top-quality wines.