Thomas Batardiere

Thomas Batardière, a next-door neighbor of renowned winemaker Richard Leroy, settled in Rablay-sur-Layon, in the heart of Anjou in La Loire, in 2012. A native of Angers, Thomas followed an atypical path that gradually led him to the world of wine. After studying at the École du Louvre and then anthropology, he discovered his passion for wine while working in the restaurant business. Encouraged by his boss to explore viticulture, Thomas took a one-week break that proved to be a real wake-up call. He began his wine career as a salaried employee at Château Yvonne, where he worked for three years. During this time, he developed the desire to set up on his own. After searching for vineyards in the Saumur region without success due to high land prices, he found Rablay-sur-Layon, an ideal location for producing great, well-balanced chenins. 2012 marks his first vintage. Thomas Batardière cultivates just over 4 hectares of biodynamically vines. His plots are ideally located on renowned terroirs such as Clos des Noëls, close to Les Aussigouins and the Montbenault plateau. These sites are known for their poor soils, perfect for producing high-quality white wines. In the cellar, Thomas Batardière adopts a minimalist, interventionist approach. For whites, he avoids settling and limits racking, seeking to vinify without sulfur. The red wines are the result of a long infusion process, revealing themselves to be fine, delicate and fruity. Although he prefers to make sulfur-free wines, Thomas Batardière remains pragmatic and doesn't hesitate to correct his wines if necessary, with filtration for example. Thomas Batardière is one of those talented young winemakers whose pragmatism and thoughtful approach to viticulture bring him close to influential figures such as Richard Leroy.