Author: Dirk Chan
The Chateau de Parnay in the beautiful town of Saumur in the appellation of Saumur Champigny in the Loire Valley. From the outside, the walled castle property looked like it was in ruins and when we went inside to visit with owner/winemaker Mathias Levron-Regis, we were amazed at what was going on. He is managing an 8-million dollar renovation that will turn this property into a 4-star hotel to be finished in 2013 using all the original marble and rock already in place with rooms renovated in the underground cellars. The castle dates somewhere between the 10th and 11th century. Pictured on the right is Mathias in what will be the main swimming pool – note the pigeon holes slots used by royalty for messaging from the old days – the more pigeon holes, the greater the power and prestige of the owner/proprietor. We can’t wait to come back to see the final results..
Alas we were there to taste the wines and both the Chateau de Parnay bottlings and the Chateau Prince offerings were amazing. While deVines has carried both houses – including the great Prince Brissac, there are many more bottlings to be had that we will be bringing in for you including some wonderful sparkling wines.
In the meantime, here are some already available wines:
2008 Ch. Prince Brissac – $25.99
2007 Ch. Prince Coteaux de L’Aubance – $28.99
Tomorrow, a very modern vineyard.