Coteaux de l'Aubance l'Embrumée 2022 Domaine du Matin Calme

Coteaux de l'Aubance L'Embrumée 2022 from Domaine du Matin Calme is the most ambitious and precious cuvée of this young Angevin domaine, a confidential bottle of just 500 examples, awarded 2 stars in the Hachette Wine Guide 2025, embodying all the magic and singularity of Coteaux de l'Aubance: a botrytised Chenin of remarkable richness, density and opulence, born from the morning mists of the Aubance that favour noble rot development on carefully selected bunches.

Terroir and domaine

Anne-Laura Aulon and Victor Robion established themselves in Juigné-sur-Loire after working and travelling across France and beyond, notably five years in Sancerre which gave them a taste for precision and terroir expression. Their 16.5 hectare domaine sits on four distinct terroirs of remarkable geological richness: schist, schistose sandstone, alluvial sands and pebbles, and volcanic rock, a mosaic of soils that gives rise to the diversity and complexity of their cuvées. The L'Embrumée cuvée comes from a parcel selection of Chenin on schist, the terroir that gives the grape its natural tension, fine minerality, and ability to concentrate, in years suited to botrytisation, natural sugars of incomparable richness and aromatic complexity. The morning fog of the Aubance valley, a small tributary of the Louet that runs through the vineyard, is the defining climatic feature of the appellation: it fosters the development of Botrytis cinerea, the noble rot fungus, which concentrates berries and develops aromas of honey, saffron and preserved fruits that are the signature of great Coteaux de l'Aubance. Ageing takes place in oak barrel, with judicious dosing that brings complexity and depth without ever masking fruit purity and the mineral tension of the schistose terroir. The domaine is converting to organic.

Tasting profile

The colour is a deep gold with amber glints, luminous and dense, the characteristic hue of botrytised Chenin aged in barrel. The nose is rich and generously shimmering: candied apple and honey notes assert themselves with elegance, accompanied by touches of dried apricot, beeswax and sweet spices, saffron and cinnamon, with a measured oak base that brings complexity without ever burdening the whole. Botrytisation brings that characteristic note of roasted hazelnut and dried fruits that marks the great sweet wines of the Loire. On the palate, the wine is fleshy, dense and opulent, a fine dessert wine arranged in nuanced layers: the sweetness of residual sugars is perfectly balanced by the Chenin's natural acidity, which brings freshness, tension and length to rich, enveloping substance. The finish is long, golden and persistent, stretching into notes of preserved fruits, honey and schistose minerality that confirm terroir excellence. A wine for ageing and contemplation, best kept for at least ten years to reveal its full complexity.

The domaine

Anne-Laura Aulon and Victor Robion embody the new generation of Angevin vignerons, attentive to terroir, precise in their Chenin approach, and capable of drawing from their four distinct terroirs a range of remarkable coherence and personality. After their years of training and travel, they chose Anjou as their land of expression and Chenin as their grape of choice, a demanding and temperamental variety, capable of the finest or the least good, but in the hands of the most rigorous vignerons reveals a depth and complexity that rivals great Burgundy Chardonnays or Alsace Rieslings.

Food pairings

This Coteaux de l'Aubance L'Embrumée will pair beautifully with seared foie gras with sweet spices, aged Roquefort with caramelised walnuts, pear and Gorgonzola tart, a dessert of yellow fruits such as Tarte Tatin or apricot cake, or a plateau of blue cheeses like Stilton or Bleu des Causses. It can also be enjoyed alone, in contemplation, lightly chilled at 10–12 °C, to fully appreciate the richness and complexity of a great botrytised Loire Chenin.