Domaine Dhommé

Wines of France / Loire Valley / Anjou / Domaine Dhommé

Domaine Dhommé

We discovered Domaine Dhommé at a trade tasting of organic producers in Saumur. Clarisse and her husband Quentin Dhommé have been organically farming their 25 hectares property since 2011. They harvest all their fruit by hand and only use indigenous yeasts. The couple make a number of excellent wines that we've brought into America for the first time. Their Anjou Blanc Clos des Fresnais is 100% chenin blanc coming from 30-year-old vines and aged in older oak barrels for 12 months. It shows notes of pear, vanilla, and a lovely mineraled streak buttresses by bright acids.

The Savennieres (one of the more prestigious appellations in the Loire) comes from sandy soils that lay atop green schist and quartz subsoils. Fermentation takes place in barrels, and the wine goes through partial malolactic. These flavors run deeper, with a subtle smoky note that weaves its way through the substantial apple-scented fruit.

Clarisse et Quentin Dhommé

The Anjou Gamay undergoes carbonic maceration and has delightful red fruit notes balanced by a mineral backbone that makes it an ideal partner for charcuterie or light vegetable dishes. Finally, the Coteaux du Layon Les Berauvais is a sweet wine harvested from chenin blanc grapes that experienced noble rot. Fermented in barrel, notes of dried apricot, preserved pear, and vanilla ooze from this nectar. Its 500 ml size only adds to the value of this sensational sweet wine!

Domaine Dhommé, Anjou, Clos des Fresnaies
The Anjou Clos de Fresnaies comes from clay and limestone soils with brown schist and quartz subsoils. The chenin blanc vines are 30 years old and are harvested by hand. Fermentation takes place in older barrels over the course of 12 months and goes through full malolactic. This wine has delicious flavors of baked apples and dried apricots with a hint of vanilla and delicate limestone minerality.

Domaine Dhommé, Savennières, Les Fougerais
The Savennières, from the lieu-dit Les Fougerais, comes from 10-15-year-old vines planted on sandy soils with green schist and quartz subsoils. Harvest is by hand and yeasts are indigenous. Fermentation is in older barrels with partial malolactic. The palate feel is fine and mineraled, with notes of ripe fruit and some smoky complexity. This wine pairs wonderfully with fish in sauce, chicken in cream sauce, and goat cheeses.

Domaine Dhommé, Coteaux du Layon, Les Beauvais
The Coteaux de Layon Les Beauvais is made with 100% chenin blanc grown on sand and clay soils with schist subsoils. 80% of the grapes have noble rot, and the juice is fermented in 400- liter oak barrels. This sweet wine is flat-out delicious, bursting with notes of concentrated dried fruits that work beautifully with foie gras, pork rillettes, strong cheeses, fruit tarts or chocolate-based desserts.

Domaine Dhommé, Anjou Gamay, Le Pressoir Rouge
The Anjou Gamay Le Pressoir comes from clay and limestone soils with brown schist subsoils. After a manual harvest, the grapes are vinified with carbonic maceration, then bottled during the winter. It is full of ripe red fruits and has well-integrated, silky tannins. This is ideal picnic wine!