In the heart of Saumur lies a captivating vineyard known as Clos d’Entre des Murs, notable for its unique construction — a walled vineyard with walls nested within. This distinctive feature sets it apart from previously seen walled vineyards.
Established in 1894 by textile entrepreneur Antoine Cristal, Clos d’Entre des Murs spans 0.56 hectares and is encircled by 2.5-meter tall walls. Inside, it weaves a complex design with 11 internal walls, each two meters high, which creates three-row bays within the vineyard. This layout allows the vines to be planted on the cooler north face, while the canopies are trained to flourish on the sun-warmed south face of the walls. Such an arrangement ensures that the vines adjacent to these walls ripen significantly faster — typically three weeks earlier than those planted outside the clos.
Cristal’s innovative approach to vineyard design is not limited to Clos d’Entre des Murs; he also created another walled vineyard named Clos Cristal in 1890, which produced a red wine favored by notable figures such as Clemenceau and Monet. Although it doesn’t boast the same density of walls, it shares the technique of using holes in the walls to grow the vine canopies on the sunnier side. Clos Cristal is larger, measuring 10 hectares, and is currently owned by the Hospices de Saumur.
Originally, the grapes harvested from Clos d’Entre des Murs, which are solely Chenin Blanc, were utilized for sweet wine production. However, recent efforts have shifted towards crafting a drier version, aged in barrels.
One of the latest offerings from this vineyard is the Château de Parnay Clos d’Entre Les Murs 2019, produced from organically farmed vines with careful selection and wild fermentation in small oak barrels. The result is a rich, toasty wine that showcases elegant notes of pear and peach, exuding a sophisticated and slightly salty character. This distinctive wine is noted for its depth and potential for aging, garnering a commendable score of 93 out of 100.