Damien Laureau was born in Versailles to a family of cereal farmers. However, his older brother was destined to take charge of the family farm, so Damien decided to move to Angers and work for his uncle, Jean-Louis Laureau, who owns pear orchards in Frémur and a vineyard in Ste-Gemme-sur-Loire. Together they created a small domaine in the mid-1990s making simple Anjou Rouge and Blanc. It was from here that Damien’s interest in wine began.
Le Bel Ouvrage is sourced from a 1.3 hectare parcel between the Château de Chamboreau and La Roche aux Moines. Known as Chambourcier, the vineyard was planted in 1999 and 2001 by the Soulez family, but was acquired by Damien Laureau in time for the 2007 vintage. The soil in this parcel is pure rhyolite; flat stones of an orange-brown schist.
This is both rich and sunny and so balanced, literally bewitched us: the generosity of the fruit and the mineral intensity combine wonderfully, magnified by a “haute-couture” aging, all in delicacy and purity of style.
