Michèle de Jessey is a formidable character in the appellation of Savennières. Her great-great-grandfather was the Chamberlain and Chief Memorialist to the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. She inherited the estate in 1961 when her aunt, Madame du Closel, the former proprietor/winemaker, searched for a successor throughout her extensive family. Madame de Jessey was chosen for her love and respect for the wine, vineyards and traditions of Savennières: a love that is evident in her wines. She went on to become much respected for her technical expertise and served as the first woman in France to be President of an Appellation Contrôlée.

The estate -- historically the Château des Vaults and its lands -- consists of 12 hectares of Chenin Blanc vines, 4 hectares of which are in the Clos du Papillon. The soil is shallow sandy topsoil on a deep bed of schist and volcanic rock. The vines are rigorously pruned to produce 4 to 6 buds on two canes. This keeps the yields low, from 20 to 40 hl/ha in any given vintage. The microclimate is defined by the protecting hillsides, and the best hilltop vineyards are exposed to high winds that keep the grapes cool and free of rot. The grapes are picked by hand under selection, or tri, and the vinification is slow under controlled temperatures. There is no doubt that, given the microclimate, soil and fruit produced, Savennières is overall the finest and most unique expression of Chenin Blanc sec in the world.

The Savennières les Caillardières (formerly known as Cuvée Spéciale) is Madame de Jessey’s creation. Most Savennières are totally dry wines, but this cuvée is a vin tendre, slightly off-dry and mineral. In great years, it is an easy, accessible introduction to Savennières with great concentration of fruit and slatey mineral tones. Best served as an aperitif wine, it takes on further nuance and complexity with age.

The Clos du Papillon is a legendary wine, from one of the top sites in Savennières, so named because the plot’s shape resembles a butterfly. The picking is usually late, (October), and done in several consecutive passes in the vineyards so as to maximize the ripeness levels. This is a completely dry wine that serves forth an incredibly lacey mix of beeswax, roasted almonds, quince and apricot flavors with a lengthy slate mineral finish. Older great vintages of this wine attest to its potential to last and age beautifully.

Also made: Savennières la Jalousie (formerly les Coulées, or Cuvée Classique, i.e. dry) a classic Savennières from a stainless-steel cuvée of young and older vines from their steepest soils of pure schist; Anjou-Villages rouge; and, in very ripe years, Clos du Papillon Cuvée Spéciale (vin tendre, or off-dry) and Cuvée Coteaux (formerly Cuvée Isa), a rare moëlleux Savennières demi-sec.