Château Yvonne makes Saumur-Champigny La Folie from a revived Loire estate farmed organically and biodynamically.
The producer
Château Yvonne is a Loire estate with a château foundation dating to the 16th century. Yvonne Lamunière recreated the abandoned vineyard in 1997, then Mathieu Vallée took over in 2007 and retained the name as homage to that work. The estate farms 11 hectares split between Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, with organic certification from 1997 and biodynamic practices from 2012. Its named red, La Folie, ferments with indigenous yeast in concrete and ages in large wooden vats.
Known for
Concrete fermented Saumur-Champigny
Notable facts
The château foundation dates to the 16th century.
The estate has 11 hectares, with 3 hectares of Chenin Blanc and 8 hectares of Cabernet Franc.
Organic certification dates to 1997, and biodynamic practices began in 2012.
Château Yvonne La Folie ferments with indigenous yeast in concrete and ages for 12 months in large wooden vats.
The story
A Name Kept
In 2007, Mathieu Vallée took over Château Yvonne. He chose to keep the name, paying homage to the work of Yvonne Lamunière, who had decided in 1997 to recreate the abandoned vineyard at a château dating to the 16th century. The decision preserved the name of the property and acknowledged the people who had brought its vineyard back. The estate has 11 hectares planted to Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, with organic certification dating to 1997 and biodynamic practices beginning in 2012.
From the atlas
Château Yvonne
Loire estate behind Saumur-Champigny La Folie, with Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, organic farming, and biodynamic practices.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Producer
Château Yvonne
Vineyard
11 hectares
Grapes
Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc
Named bottle
Château Yvonne La Folie
Farming
Organic and biodynamic
The Producer
The château dates to the 16th century. In 1997, Yvonne Lamunière decided to recreate its abandoned vineyard. Mathieu Vallée took over in 2007 and kept the name Château Yvonne as homage to the work of the previous owners. Organic certification dates to 1997, and biodynamic practices began in 2012.
Place
Saumur-Champigny is the appellation on La Folie's label, a Loire designation for red wine. Château Yvonne's vineyards also include Chenin Blanc, so the estate farms a white grape alongside Cabernet Franc. The label names a red appellation, while the vineyard holdings cover both red and white varieties.
Wines
The named red bottle is Château Yvonne La Folie. The estate also grows Chenin Blanc alongside Cabernet Franc. La Folie ferments in concrete with indigenous yeast, then ages for 12 months in large wooden vats. Its range position is defined by a red Saumur-Champigny bottle and a cellar sequence that moves from concrete fermentation to wood ageing.
In The Glass
The 2020 Château Yvonne La Folie is ruby in colour, opaque and bright, with black cherry notes and medium body that drinks easily. Its tannins are direct, finely woven and taut, while the palate is focused, lean and linear. The 2020 vintage is recommended to drink over the next seven to ten years.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Château Yvonne La Folie. It is the estate's named red bottle, fermented with indigenous yeast in concrete and aged in large wooden vats. The wine joins a regional appellation to a cellar sequence that keeps fermentation and ageing in separate vessels.
Final Word
La Folie is a Saumur-Champigny red made through concrete fermentation and ageing in large wooden vats. Château Yvonne pairs that cellar work with an abandoned vineyard brought back into cultivation and farming that moved from organic certification to biodynamic practice.