Domaine Nicolas Arnou - Nicolas Arnou

After training as an engineer and starting his career at Airbus, Nicolas chose to return to his roots and carry out a project that has long inspired him: to live among the vines, listen to them and extract a wine that respects and expresses all their qualities.

In 2018, he purchased a former 19th-century wine cellar and the adjoining Clos vineyards in the Layon Valley. The estate is a 10-hectare enclosure that was once part of the Raimbaudières estate. It is one of the region's first gravity-flow wineries, built in 1895. The three-story cellar is very large but required extensive renovations. It had not been used for winemaking for over twenty years. However, it is not deserted: the cellar shelters colonies of lesser and greater horseshoe bats, as well as a greater mouse-eared bat—all valuable allies in the fight against vine pests! The land has been farmed organically since 2016. Its flora and fauna already demonstrate a preserved biodiversity. Natural ground cover, shallow tilling, and agroforestry: everything is done to maintain and enhance soil fertility and the quality of the vineyard environment in order to produce the best grapes. The estate is planted with local grape varieties: Chenin Blanc, Grolleau, and Cabernet Franc. Winemaking is carried out as simply as possible to preserve the purity of the juice; nothing is added and nothing is removed. No technological processes are used, there is no filtration, and Nicolas makes maximum use of gravity to remain true to the spirit of the place.