Simon Batardière
Simon Batardière is part of this young generation of inspiring winemakers who are redefining the natural wines of Anjou.
Established for several years on the banks of the Layon, Simon Batardière now cultivates a few hectares of vines using organic farming. Obviously, all his vines are weeded mechanically, no use of synthetic products, no pesticides, no fungicides, no insecticides. In his plot there are old Cabernet Franc vines (Mark Angeli speculates that these are perhaps the oldest vines in the area) and several plots of very pretty Chenin, including a brand new plot on Montbenault.
Simon is helped by his wife Lénaïg, together they carry out all the work in the vineyard. At Simon, winemaking is both simple and intuitive. It is in the cellar adjoining their house that the grapes harvested manually in small boxes are then vinified as naturally as possible. All wines ferment with indigenous yeasts, they are neither filtered nor fined. Aging is done most of the time in old French oak barrels but also sometimes in vats depending on the desired profile of the wines. Simon Batardière quickly attracted attention with his first vintages Miroir Blanc, Miroir rouge and Acqualina. He continues to experiment, inspired by the prestigious winegrowers who succeeded him in this little corner of Anjou: Richard Leroy, Babass…
The difficult vintages associated with a small surface area of vines mean that Simon Batardière's wines are jealously sought after by sommeliers and wine merchants. Simon participates every year in our local Fanfare et Pinard festival, he is one of the winegrowers near Marée Haute that we particularly like.
