Bouvet Ladubay

Bouvet Ladubay is a sparkling wine producer from Saumur in the Loire Valley. After an interlude with the major Champagne house Taittinger, the company is now once again family-run. In addition to wine, Bouvet Ladubay is a place for art, impressively reflected in the cellar, which is built in the style of a sunken cathedral. 

Wine estate Bouvet Ladubay - A long cellar beneath Saint-Hilaire

Étienne Bouvet was just 23 years old when, in 1851, he bought a cellar of an incredible eight kilometers in length in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent on the Loire and, together with his wife Celestine Ladubay, founded the Maison Bouvet Ladubay. What followed were more than 16 eventful decades in which Bouvet Ladubay rose to the title of “Official Supplier to the British Parliament.” After several proud owners, including the Champagne house Taittinger, Bouvet Ladubay has been completely family-owned again since last year and continues its path to the top of French sparkling wine producers.

The Crémant de Loire - an insider tip

The crucial question one asks when looking at the rise of Bouvet Ladubay and other major Crémant producers is: What is the secret? How do houses like Bouvet Ladubay manage to offer top-class bottle-fermented sparkling wine at a fraction of the price of Champagne? On the one hand, it comes down to good business management; on the other hand, it still does not seem to be widely known how good Crémant de Loire is. Saumur Brut, for example, was exported all over the world by the Dutch at an early stage and was very popular with kings and great French statesmen. 

Classical sparkling wine production at Bouvet Ladubay

The basis for the cuvées of Bouvet Ladubay are the grapes from around 100 winegrowers, who are newly selected by the company each year. Delivery as well as pressing already take place under the supervision of the oenologists of Bouvet Ladubay. The following steps are:

• First fermentation over 8–10 days
• 4 months resting time
• Blending of the cuvées

The passion of the boss

Patrice Monmousseau, the managing director, personally takes over the blending from this point on in order to create individual wines with the best characteristics. After maturation in stainless steel, or in wood for higher-quality wines, the second fermentation in the bottle follows, which is set in motion with the addition of yeast and sugar, giving rise to the sparkling wine. With regular riddling, the yeast deposit is separated, the wines are disgorged and the dosage added, so the Brut de Loire does not differ in any step from the production of Champagne.