Learn about this historic wine region in France’s Anjou Saumur and how its reputation for top-class Anjou wines is being revived!

The western half of the Loire Valley’s ‘Anjou Saumur’ wine region is popularly known as L'Anjou Noir , so named because of its volcanic, schist and slate soils which are often dark in colour - a contrast to the pale creams, greys and yellows of the limestone soils in the east of the region. 

These special ‘Anjou Noir’ soils in the heart of the Loire Valley wine region have produced the most amazing ‘sweet’ Anjou Chenin Blanc wines over centuries, but today the wine world is excited by the potential of its stunning ‘dry’ Anjou Chenin Blanc wines - read on to see what we discovered when visiting this beautiful wine region - not so well known internationally today, but nonetheless one of the most famous French wine regions historically and one full of lots of exciting potential.  

The Anjou Saumur wine region

The Loire Valley wine region is one of the world's most famous wine regions and the third largest in France and today is undergoing a renaissance, with growing consumer interest, a new wave of exciting wine producers and a greater focus on terroir-specific wines.

Travelling east upriver from the Atlantic Ocean, the first Loire wine region is the vineyards around Nantes, the home of  ‘Muscadet’. Then come the vineyards of Anjou-Saumur, where there are about 30 different appellations. 

Anjou Saumur is the largest and most diverse sub-region of the Loire Valley wine region and offers multiple different wine styles. Much of this diversity and the exceptionally high quality of the wines produced here, is explained by the soils in the region. The subsoil around the Saumur half of the region is based on limestone, sand, and siliceous clay, whilst in the westerly Anjou region the soils are more volcanic and made up of granite, schist and slate. 

This soil diversity can be seen in the wines of course, but is also evident in the buildings, with the pale limestone stones used in the east of the region, around the city of Saumur, being in stark contrast to the darker stones used around the town of Angers in the west - particularly evident in the imposing Angers castle (see later).

This has led to the terms ‘Anjou Blanc’ for the limestone soil region and ‘Anjou Noir’ for the schist soil region.

For more about the wines of the ‘Anjou Blanc’ region around Saumur, see here.

Anjou Noir and the Anjou wine region 

As well as the special soils in this unique part of the Loire Valley wine region, there are 2 other components which have ensured the reputation of the Anjou Noir region and Anjou wines for many centuries - namely the Loire Chenin Blanc grape variety and ‘botrytis’ - with perfect conditions for the production of incredible sweet wines.

Loire Chenin Blanc 

Anjou-Saumur is home to the Loire Valley wine region’s signature grape variety and wine, Loire Chenin Blanc. Chenin Blanc’s homeland in the Loire Valley is divided between AOC Vouvray and AOC Montlouis just east of the city of Tours, as well as AOC Saumur and AOC Anjou to the west.

A native Loire grape variety, Chenin Blanc has a medium to thick skin, high acidity and is prone to botrytis and there are few places in the world more favourable to the development of botrytis than the hillsides of western Anjou or Anjou Noir, with the morning Autumn fogs rising from the River Loire, River Layon, River Aubance and River Louet.

The Anjou noir vineyards lie to the west and south of Angers, almost exclusively on the left bank of the Loire. As early as the Middle Ages, Angers was famous for its wines, which were compared to Burgundy wines and held pride of place at royal tables in France and England. The royal court under King Henry II started serving Anjou wines in 1154. 

A renaissance in Anjou wines

The majority of Anjou wine production was sweet wine up until the 2nd world war, after which the popularity of both Chenin Blanc wines and sweet wines began to wane. In addition the region became more well-known for the production of mass produced rosé wines. 

In more recent years however Anjou Noir has been undergoing a renaissance and vignerons here are making some stunning dry white Anjou wines, from the same vineyards which were previously the domain of only sweet wines. Global warming has helped this shift, but skills in the vineyard and the cellar have also played a role.  

Today there are some superb dry, gastronomic Anjou wines being produced, wines with great structure and ageing potential - with many examples fermented and aged in larger, older oak casks. The international popularity of Chenin Blanc as a grape variety is also growing after the dominance of varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Anjou Noir vineyards and appellations

The small, legacy Anjou vineyard plots to the west and south of Angers incorporate the most hilly part of the Loire and some of the oldest soils in France, this is the home too of some world-famous vineyards and appellations.

The basic Anjou appellation covers most of Anjou Noir, producing excellent Anjou Blanc, Chenin Blanc, dry white wines. In terms of rosé wines, you can find the once very popular ‘Rosé d’Anjou’, a slightly sweet wine made mostly from the Grolleau grape. However this has lost favour in recent years to ‘Rosé de Loire’ and ‘Cabernet d’Anjou’ wines, made from other red varieties, especially Cabernet Franc, a prominent red grape variety in Anjou-Saumur. This is also used for Anjou Rouge wines. Note that many wine producers here bottle their wine as ‘Vin de France’, not agreeing with the current Anjou AOC’s rules.

On the left bank of the Loire are the world-famous sweet wine appellations of Coteaux de l’Aubance, Coteaux du Layon and Bonnezeaux as well as Quarts de Chaume, the Loire’s first official and only Grand Cru appellation. 

On the right of the Loire is the famous Savennières appellation, which is split into two, Savennières-Roche-aux-Moines and Savennières-Coulée-de-Serrant. This is where exceptional dry wines are being produced today, powerful, expressive wines, full of lots of mineral character and offering outstanding ageing potential. 

Visiting Anjou Noir 

We spent 2 days exploring the beautiful Anjou Noir in the Loire Valley wine region, visiting two top wineries and discovering the charming villages and stunning scenery. We had our bikes with us so managed to incorporate a couple of lovely bike rides along the River Loire, which is always a highlight!

Where to stay in Anjou Noir

The heart of the Anjou Noir wine region is the beautiful city of Angers (see later).

See here for accommodation options in and around Angers, covering locations along the banks of the River Loire, in the wine villages, or in the city itself.

We stayed 1 night in the city, in the Mercure Hotel, which was convenient for exploring the city and for an early morning departure, but opted to spend our first night near the vineyards and near the Loire.

We stayed in the island village of Béhuard - a delightful ‘"Petite Cité de Caractère" village, nestled in the centre of the Loire, famous since the Middle Ages for its Pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary, its famous church, Notre-Dame du Béhuard.

We stayed at the superb ‘L’Audacieuse’ in the centre of Béhuard, a chambre d’hôte (bed and breakfast), which not only offers super accommodation, they have an excellent restaurant which we can highly recommend!

We can also personally recommend a cottage and guest house run by Domaine Cady (see later), in the lovely village of Rochefort-sur-Loire, a perfect location for exploring the vineyards and wineries of Anjou Noir.

Another option which comes highly recommended - Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Rayon, offering a holiday cottage and 4 guest rooms.

Winery visits

As mentioned earlier, Anjou Noir is attracting winemakers and investors alike, all convinced by the huge potential the region offers to produce stunning and award-winning wines. 

Here is a list of wineries you can visit in the area for a wine tasting and potentially a cellar/vineyard tour.

You can explore the area either by yourself or with a guided tour, by following one of the established wine routes.

We did some research and selected two quite different wineries - one, Domaine Cady, a top and well-established, family Anjou wine producer in the Layon Valley and the other, Domaine Balargus, owned by Ivan Massonnat, one of the most exciting, innovative, passionate and visionary ambassadors and pioneers for Anjou Noir.  

Firstly we traveled to Domaine Belargus to meet Ivan Massonat and to learn all about this exciting region…

Domaine Belargus Anjou Noir

Domaine Belargus reflects the vision and passion of wine lover, Ivan Massonnat who is set on reclaiming Anjou’s place on the Loire Valley fine wine map with his terroir-focused Chenin Blanc wines.

It all started in 2018 when Ivan purchased the famous estate on the ‘Coteau des Treilles’ slopes at the heart of Anjou Noir, from winemaking icon, Jo Pithon, who meticulously restored the fragmented vineyard plots in the 1990s and pioneered the production of dry Chenin Blanc in vineyards once famous for producing France’s great sweet wines.

Jo Pithon is still involved in the estate today, which is a great example of biodiversity and biodynamic viticulture and winemaking. Today the estate comprises 24 hectares of prime, hillside plots, all dedicated to Chenin Blanc:

• The original "Coteau des Treilles", a wild and steep, south-facing hillside, located in a classified "Regional Natural Reserve" spread across 20 hectares, with 2400 different species of fauna and flora, including the blue Belargus butterfly, which the winery is named after. This location enjoys a unique mediterranean micro-climate and the terrain is untouched by chemicals and full of bio-diversity. There are 3 hectares of vineyards here.

• The “Quarts-de-Chaume” - some 10 hectares, representing 25% of the total 40 hectares in this famous Grand Cru site - the only Grand Cru in the Loire Valley wine region.

• The "Clos des Ruchères" site in Savennières - a small plot in this famous vineyard, planted on a rare hillside of purple schist soil. 

Ivan works with top winemaker Adrien Moreau to produce superb dry, single-plot cuvées, inspired by Burgundy, with a focus on the use of oak for ageing. These wines receive world-wide attention and critical acclaim - in fact Belargus won its first 100-point score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate within 3 years of producing the first wines. 

These wines are not cheap - but they are recognised as being superb quality and as such, great value wines. 

Ivan plays a key leading role in the Anjou Noir wine sector here and he is passionate about his project and Domaine Belargus being an enabler for the whole region.

We visited Ivan at Domaine Belargus in Saint-Lambert du Lattay, the largest wine village in Anjou and as of 2026 visitors will be able to visit the new winery which is in the process of being built, close to the current winery.

We enjoyed a superb wine tasting at Domaine Belargus and were also privileged to visit the Coteau des Treilles site. We are immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to experience first-hand the passion and commitment of Ivan and his team to this project and excited to watch the Domaine Belargus and Anjou Noir Chenin Blanc journey over the coming months and years!

Domaine Cady

Domaine Cady is labelled a ‘cellar of excellence’ in the Loire Valley wine region. A 4th generation family estate, dating back to 1927, Domaine Cady has 28 hectares of vineyards on the Coteaux du Layon hillsides around the villages of Saint-Aubin de Luigné and Rochefort-sur-Loire - mostly Chenin Blanc, but also Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Grolleau. Domaine Cady has been certified organic since 2011 and they use oak, stainless steel and traditional amphoras in their winemaking, enabling them to offer a broad range of wines and wine styles, covering 7 different appellations.

Following a terrible fire that destroyed the estate in 2021, the family is in the process of building a brand new winery and tasting room at Clos du Moulin de Sainte Catherine, in Rochefort-sur-Loire, where their cottage and guest rooms are located (see earlier) and where visitors will be able to enjoy a great tasting and cellar tour experience.

We visited the premises in Saint Aubin and enjoyed an excellent tasting, including the following wines:

• Anjou Blanc - Chenin Blanc - fermentation in stainless steel only - a very light and easy going wine

• Anjou Blanc Cheninsolite - Chenin Blanc, slightly oaked, delicious!

• Anjou Blanc Clos du Moulin Sainte Catherine - vinified in oak and amphora - aged for  8 months

• Cabernet d’Anjou - a semi-dry rosé - 40% Cabernet Franc, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon

• Loire Rosé - 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Grolleau

• Loire Crémant - Brut style - made by the traditional ‘Champagne’ method - 20% Chardonnay, 80% Chenin Blanc.

• Anjou Rouge and Anjou Villages  - 100% Cabernet Franc - the ‘Villages’ is made from old vines and aged in oak.

We then enjoyed a tasting of 3 traditional Coteaux du Layon sweet wines - our first time tasting these superb and famous Loire Chenin sweet wines: 

• Coteaux du Layon Saint Aubin - 50% botrytis grapes

• Coteaux du Layon les Varennes - made with 100% botrytis grapes (pairs well with goats cheese, blue cheeses, foie gras, acidic desserts)

• Coteaux du Layon Premier Cru Charmes - perfect as a digestif or with a strong cheese

What to do in Anjou 

Visit Angers

Angers is a great city to visit when in the Loire Valley wine region - as well as being in the centre of this unique landscape, famous for its wine, its heritage and history, Angers is France’s 1st ‘Green City’, recognised for its green spaces, its superb quality of life and biodiversity. 

Angers is also a city of art and history. A visit to the historic quarter has much to offer the visitor. First and foremost there is the famous Angers Castle - the dominating fortress stands proud above the city below, with its 17 massive towers of schist and sandstone and ornate gardens. It also houses the world’s largest mediaeval tapestry - the ‘Apocalypse’ tapestry, a masterpiece of mediaeval art, some 600 years old.  

Other significant monuments include the beautiful gothic Saint-Maurice cathedral, the Grand Theatre on Place du Ralliement, the central square in Angers, ‘Adam’s House’, right in the heart of the city, this half-timbered house is the most remarkable among the half-timbered houses still present in Angers and the collegiate church of Saint-Martin, one of the best-preserved Carolingian monuments in France. Then there are also lots of museums to enjoy and of course, strolls along the river quais, where you can enjoy the regional wines of course!

We really enjoyed our walking tour around the historic city of Angers and followed it with a delicious meal with superb wines at a small restaurant called ‘Une Fille et des Quilles’ which we can highly recommend.

See here for more about visiting Angers.

Visit the beautiful wine villages of Behuard and Savennieres

As mentioned earlier we can highly recommend visiting the ‘Ile de Behuard’ - the tiny village sitting on an island in the middle of the Loire, home to about 100 people, with its famous pilgrimage site, the Notre Dame du Behuard.

Take time to visit Béhuard and also the tiny wine village of Savennieres, on the north side of the Loire, famed for its Chenin vineyards as we explored earlier. You can also visit the Saint Pierre and Saint Romain church, a stunning example of the primitive Romanesque style, dating from the 10th and 12th centuries. 

Note, there is an excellent restaurant in Savennières called ‘Le Chenin’.

Visit Château du Plessis-Macé

North of Angers in the village of Longuenée-en-Anjou stands a beautiful 13th century château - standing in a natural setting surrounded by wide moats, this unique and well-preserved castle with both Medieval and Renaissance architecture is a fascinating place to visit. 

Enjoy the River Loire

This sounds obvious but take time to enjoy the nature and sights along this beautiful river - see here for ideas for walking, cycling and cruising the Loire!

Visit the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud 

The  Royal Abbey of Fontevraud is one of the largest surviving monastic cities from the Middle Ages and has been registered as an Historic Monument since 1840. Founded in 1101 to house a community of men and women, the Abbey soon became Europe’s biggest community of nuns, accommodating up to 700 people.

Throughout its history it enjoyed the protection and generosity of royal and aristocratic families and in the 12th century it was chosen by Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France and then Queen of England, as her family necropolis. The bodies of her husband, Henry 11 and her son Richard the Lionheart were both laid to rest here, followed by herself in 1204. Napoleon had the buildings turned into a state prison after the French Revolution.

There is a lot to see and we highly recommend a visit - it’s a unique part of French - and English - history.

There is an excellent museum and you can also enjoy lunch afterwards or in the lovely village next to the Abbey.

For more inspiration about visiting Anjou - see here. 

Also see our other articles about exploring the Loire Valley wine region here.

Conclusion and personal highlights

Anjou is an incredibly exciting wine region. The wines are superb, but the scenery, the lovely villages, the historic city of Angers and the beautiful Loire also mean it should definitely be on your list to visit!

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Anjou Noir and the Loire Valley wine region. If your’e inspired to visit yourself, contact us and let us help you plan your own wine travel there!

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