Hervé Villemade

Hervé Villemade occupies a place of choice among the "institutions" of natural wine, alongside figures such as the Puzelat brothers of Clos Tue-Boeuf, the Mosse, the Breton, and other pioneers of natural wine. For almost twenty years, Hervé Villemade has dedicatedly invested in the production of natural wines in the Loire.
In the heart of the Cheverny appellation, in Cellettes, Hervé took the reins of the 13.5 hectare family estate in 1995, and in 1999, his sister Isabelle joined him. It was at this time that they began the total conversion of the estate to organic farming, adopting manual harvesting. Weedkillers and chemicals have been banned, while winemaking has moved towards a natural and gentle approach in the cellar. No inputs are used in their wines, with the exception of anecdotal doses of sulfur during bottling. Native yeasts are favored for fermentations. On the sand and flint clay soils of their magnificent terroirs, Hervé provides meticulous care to the vines, in the heart of preserved natural spaces, with no "chemist" neighbors nearby, a rarity these days.
Hervé Villemade has a true passion for indigenous grape varieties, such as Romorantin or Menu Pineau, and pursues a constant quest for the purity and freshness of the fruit.
In parallel with his main activity, Hervé Villemade founded a grape trading structure in 2008 to guarantee the economic balance of the estate by producing enough each year. Thanks to his commitment, Hervé Villemade succeeds in offering wines of remarkable drinkability and honorable aging potential. A true source of pleasure for wine lovers, especially since his work is enriched by aging in amphoras of all kinds, a passion that he developed during a trip to Georgia, bringing depth and precision to its pretty bottles.