CEDRIC ALLION FROM DOMAINE GUY ALLION
Thesee la Romaine - Loire (Cher Valley)
The Domaine has been in existence for 4 generations, each contributing to the level of quality reached today by Cedric Allion. In the beginning, Domaine Guy Allion was not 100% planted in vines but rather in polyculture (cereal, vine and prairies for horse and other animal feed) like most domains in Touraine at the time.
In 1968, Cedric's father Guy decided to gradually move toward full viticulture, and achieved that goal in 1991. Cedric grew up on the domain and decided early on that he too would be a winemaker. He graduated high school with a degree in viticulture and oenology in Beaune, Burgundy. In 1999 he joined the domaine and started modernizing and developing it.
The domaine is located in the small town of Thesee la Romaine in the valley of the Cher River, a tributary of the Loire river. This area is surrounded with 11th century remains from the Gallo-Roman era as well as prestigious Loire Valley Châteaux: Chenonceau, Amboise, Chaumont, Blois.
The Touraine appellation was created by decree on December 24, 1939 and amended on November, 23 2011. It extends from Anjou to the gateway of the Sologne, an area where the Loire joins several of its tributaries. It includes 143 communes, 101 in Indre-et-Loire and 42 in Loir-et-Cher. Most of the vineyards lie south east of Tours on slopes overlooking the Cher, and between the Cher and the Loire.
When St Martin of Tours founded the Abbey of Marmoutier in 372, he marked the start of a new phase in the development of the Touraine vineyards. The proximity of the rivers also played a major role, providing good transport connections and encouraging exports. Development reached its peak in the 19th century, by which time Touraine had been one of the main wine suppliers to Paris for over a century. A period of crisis followed, lasting until the Second World War, after which Touraine began to focus solely on high-quality wines..
The AOP Touraine produces wines in 4 different colors : White, red, rosé and sparkling wines.
Information by: Loire Valley Wines
The soils here are very varied, and include perruches (flinty clay), aubuis (clay/limestone on a chalk subsoil) and sand over clay to the east, as well as light gravel and shell-rich sand.