Coteaux du Layon: Domaine de la Ducquerie Chaumes Premier Cru

The Loire is France's longest river, running almost 400km from the Massif Central westwards to the Atlantic, and gives its name to one of the country's most diverse wine regions. Spanning some 57,000 hectares across Loire-Atlantique, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, and the Centre, it produces the full range of styles - fresh, light whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, elegant reds and rosés from Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Gamay, plus sweet and sparkling wines. Its western vineyards enjoy a maritime Atlantic climate, while the more easterly Centre is cooler and continental, and its chalky limestone soils help the wines retain their signature freshness and acidity. Home to 69 appellations, including the famous Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, the Loire offers something to please every palate.

One of the Loire Valley's most celebrated sweet-wine appellations, set on the slopes along the river Layon, a tributary of the Loire in the Anjou district. Made exclusively from Chenin Blanc, its wines gain their luscious sweetness from grapes affected by noble rot (botrytis cinerea), which concentrates their sugars. The result is golden, honeyed dessert wines showing notes of apricot, quince, candied citrus, and honey, always balanced by Chenin's signature fresh acidity.