Why it matters
The producer
Domaine Les Clos Maurice connects a long Varrains history with a marked change in vineyard and cellar work. Mickaël Hardouin took over winemaking from his father Maurice in 1997, with a significant shift in winemaking placed in 2007. Nicolas Reau joined the domaine in partnership in 2017 and changed farming and winemaking practices. The property passed to the Baulé family in 2020, who continued the work already engaged.
The wines are made with a minimalist, extremely hands-off approach. Their supported house character is purity of fruit and racy texture. Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc give the estate two principal ways to work across the Saumur range.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Varrains places the estate inside the Saumur-Champigny appellation, a useful starting point for understanding its labels. Saumur-Champigny and Saumur Rouge represent the red wines, Saumur Blanc supplies the still white reference, Saumur Rosé adds a lighter style, and Crémant de Loire extends the range into sparkling wine.
The grape names remain equally important. The range is therefore broad in style while its variety mapping remains deliberately simple: red and white wines built around the estate's two principal grapes.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Ecocert-certified organic farming began in 2012, followed by Demeter-certified biodynamics in 2021. The biodynamic work is described through attention to natural cycles and vineyard biodiversity, turning certification into a practical way of working among the vines.
The cellar follows an extremely hands-off approach. In the 2023 Licorne, oak and lees élevage are part of the documented handling, while the finished wine is marked by purity of fruit, fresh acidity and a racy texture. The method leaves the white wine focused and recognisable in the glass.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range begins with Saumur-Champigny and Saumur Rouge, the estate's red wine names, alongside Saumur Blanc, Saumur Rosé and Crémant de Loire.
Across the house, the wines are associated with purity of fruit and racy texture. The white reference adds marked fresh acidity. The 2023 Saumur Blanc Licorne brings the most detailed bottle evidence: Chenin Blanc with a crystalline, saline profile, a taut palate, and oak and lees élevage behind the texture.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the 2023 Saumur Blanc Licorne, a Chenin Blanc from the estate's white wine range. It brings together the details that are most clearly documented for Les Clos Maurice: purity of fruit, marked fresh acidity, racy texture, and a taut, saline, crystalline profile. Oak and lees élevage add shape to the palate while the minimalist cellar approach keeps the wine focused.