The terroir is a unique combination of soil and climate.
Located about 50 km from the Atlantic Ocean, the Pays Nantais’ vineyard benefits from an Oceanic climate. Winters are relatively mild with temperatures rarely falling below 0°C, while summers are warm and dry, but never too hot. Besides, the vineyard of Nantes, located south of the Loire River, is settled on the Armoricain Massif made up of various volcanic rocks whose there are a dozen different terroir.
At Domaine des Tilleuls, we are situated on siliceous-clay soil that is crossed by a schist vein. Of these two components of the terroir, the soil is the most subtle and the most exciting. The vines draw the moisture they need to grow from between the plates of schist, the roots penetrating down to a depth of some seven or eight metres, where ground water fills the empty spaces and cracks which will give minerality and a certain salinity to our wines. Another major component, the mineral rich clay, allows the soil to heat up slowly in springtime, which causes the vines to bloom early on. The clay’s good water-retention capacity is also very useful in summer. The silica and clay will give tenderness, aromatic complexity and delicacy to our wines.
The geological potential of the plots (exposure, slope, etc.) and the age of the vines also confer a specific personality to each wine, creating diverse and varied cuvées, with an excellent ageing potential.