The Loire Valley attracts millions of visitors annually, drawn by its medieval and Renaissance Chateaux, beautiful villages, and stunning scenery. With over a thousand vineyards, it’s also a mecca for wine lovers, and with good reason.
If wine tourism is high on your agenda, Saumur is an excellent place to visit, as it has a fantastic blend of things to see and do and some great wines to sample. Nestled between the Loire and Thouet rivers, Saumur has plenty of history and beautiful architecture to charm you as you wander through the streets, lined with buildings constructed generations ago from the local Tuffeau stone. Much of the stone used to build Saumur was extracted from beneath the town and surrounding area. That extraction created large caves, which some local wine producers use as cellars to house their wines as they age.
One such producer is Langlois Crémant de Loire
. The winery has been producing since 1885, initially under the name Maison Delanders. In 1912, the cellars, land and vineyards were sold to Edouard Langlois and his wife Jeanne Chateau, and Langlois-Chateau was born.
In the early 1970s, Bollinger came looking for more vineyards in the Loire region to produce high-quality grapes for its sparkling wines, and so in 1973, Langlois-Chateau became a part of the Bollinger family. Since then, the winery has continued to make high-quality wines using fruit from its own vineyards and those in the local area. It produces still and sparkling wines, but the jewel in its crown is its range of crémant sparkling wines.
A recent rebrand has seen the name change Langlois-Chateau to Langlois Crémant de Loire, and the brand has cemented its identity in the Loire Valley, drawing inspiration for the colours of each label from the hues and tones of the region.
While you’re in Saumur, head over to the winery, which is just a short taxi ride from the centre of the town. During your visit, you can take in the fabulous views from the vineyards, which roll down the hillside to the Loire on one side and across to the Chateau de Saumur on the other. Visit on Thursdays from May until September, and you can do it in style with a horse-drawn carriage trip around the vineyard. A knowledgeable guide will give you a potted history and tell you about the growing practices and winemaking process as you roll through the vines.
You’ll also be able to tour some of the three kilometres of underground tunnels that house over two million bottles of wine. The caves keep the wine’s temperature stable as the wine ages without being impacted by the changing seasons outside.
They saved the best part for last — the wine tasting. After learning about the process from vine to bottle, you can taste the results and even treat yourself to a bottle or two to take home in the on-site shop.
You aren’t alone if you’re not too familiar with crémant sparkling wines. Everyone knows of champagne and prosecco, but crémant is coming up on the outside and making a splash with fizz fans. And quite rightly so, in our opinion.
In many ways, crémant represents the perfect balance. It is made using the same method and skill as champagne but comes in at a fraction of the price of its more famous counterpart. Only three grape varieties are used to produce champagne, but crémant isn’t so restricted. This gives winemakers more scope to create different blends and flavours, often making crémant a more interesting and varied wine.
Langlois Crémant de Loire is very proud of its work towards making production 100% organic. As old vines are replaced, new organic practices and methods are used, which are better for the environment, grape production, and the consumer. Around half of the vineyard at Saumur achieved Organic Agriculture Certification in 2020, with the remainder following in 2022, but organic practices have been used for the past 10 years. The winery has a target of launching a completely organic range to market by 2030. It has taken the first step on that journey with the impending release of an organic Blanc de Blancs in September 2024. Having tasted it, I can tell you it is one for your shopping list.
The Crémant Range
Brut Rosé
£16
This delightful pale pink wine is a blend of cabernet franc and pinot noir grapes, which are harvested by hand and pressed within just a few hours of picking. After vinification and blending, it is matured using the traditional method, where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle and is left on the lees for a minimum of 18 months before being disgorged.
There are plenty of red fruits on the nose, with just a hint of summer peach. On the palate, it has a natural freshness with a nice, balanced level of acidity. The fine bubbles are creamy and delicious, leading to a long, fruit-filled finish.
Brut Réserve
£16
Chenin blanc grapes are accompanied by chardonnay and cabernet franc grapes to create this easy-to-drink crémant. It is blended with 12% reserve wine (hence the name), which has been aged for up to two years before blending. After blending, the wine ages for at least 24 months on the lees, adding depth to the flavour and structure.
On the nose, it’s clean and crisp, with fruits coming up to greet you. On the palate, there are hints of sweetness and a touch of red apple to round out the orchard flavours. It has a little dryness, but that is balanced well. The fine bubbles subside to a long, saline finish that takes you back for another sip. A well-structured and complex wine that works well for all occasions.
Brut Vintage 2018
£22.50
Available for the first time in the UK, Brut Vintage has a slightly darker, more golden colour, with an intensity that’s evident on the nose and the palate thanks to the longer ageing, which takes place for a minimum of four years on the lees. The grapes used to produce this crémant sparkling wine are a blend of 68% chenin, 22% chardonnay, 10% cabernet franc and 6% grolleau.
The wine is complex and full of floral fragrance and a hint of honeyed sweetness on the nose. On the palate, the fine bubbles create a rich and refreshing creaminess, with some minerality to finish.
If you’re looking for a wine to lay down, the Brut Vintage 2018 has great ageing potential and will happily keep for up to 8 years in the right conditions.
Cadence Extra Brut 2017
£26
This crémant sparkling wine is named in honour of Le Cadre Noir, originally a military school established by Napolean Bonapart but now a riding school in Saumur, with which Langlois Crémant de Loire has a long association. A blend of chenin, chardonnay, cabernet Franc and pinot noir grapes, this wine is aged for an astonishing five years on the lees — a timescale which is unusually long for a crémant. The result is worth the wait.
Cadence Extra Brut is pure, complex and has excellent structure. It falls on the side of acidity rather than sweetness but is well-balanced overall. The long ageing process lends flavours of hazelnut and brioche to the wine, making it warm and inviting on the nose. On the palate, dried fruits come to the fore, with white flowers and hints of peach adding to the mix. A touch of citrus brings a tang to the finish, which is long and moreish.
No matter which crémant sparkling wine you select, you are unlikely to be disappointed. The balance of quality, flavour and price makes it a wine for any occasion. Laurent Onillon, sales manager at Langlois Crémant de Loire, believes that a good wine like a crémant sparkling wine is an everyday moment — “You should always have a bottle of crémant in your fridge,” he said. “You never know what could happen.”
We can’t disagree. Cheers!
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