Domaine Rene Renou Bonnezeaux Cuvee Zenith

Description

Domaine Rene Renou Bonnezeaux Cuvee Zenith is the one of the very best sweet wines from the Loire. The Bonnezeaux appellation is located in the Anjou region of the western Loire Valley and was created in 1951. It is a tiny appellation of approximately 200 acres.

Rene Renou became known as one of the foremost producers of Bonnezeaux, a calling that he later shared with this position as the President of the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine’s Comité Vins (L’INAO). In 1995 he reduced the size of his estate to 8 hectares so that he could concentrate on growing just superb sweet wines. Rene died in 2006 and his son now runs the estate, the eight generation of the faimly to be in the wine business.

The estate is located in Thouarcé, the soils here are composed of sandy shale. The climate is stable, moderated by the oceanic influence of the Atlantic and the south-facing slopes are blessed with higher-than-average levels of sunshine. The grapes are harvested by hand in three passes through the vineyard to ensure that only the best, ripest grapes and those affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea) are used.