Château de Montfort Setting High Quality Standards in the Loire Valley
Known for its grand royal abbeys, picturesque pastoral scenery, and world-class wines, the Loire Valley is one of France’s most prized wine regions. It’s also one of the most historic — with a winemaking tradition that dates back over 2,000 years. Located in the heart of this special region, Château de Montfort proudly plays its part in the Loire Valley’s rich history.
Built in the 16th century, Château de Montfort’s fortified manor house stands tall among the sprawling rows of vines. The Feray family has loyally cared for the property since 1994 when Christian Feray, a former teacher who later became a surgeon in Normandy, retired and decided to start a new life in the Vouvray vineyards where he grew up. At the time, current chief winemaker Jérôme Loisy was already working at the domaine as an intern — it is thanks to his talents and the Feray familly’s dedication to quality that the estate has earned an international reputation for its elegant, top-quality wines from Touraine. In fact, Château de Montfort is BRC-certified (BRC Global Standard for Food Safety) and has received an International Featured Standard (IFS) rating of 97.7/100 — both impressive indicators of quality.
The Feray family own a total of 300 hectares / 741 acres of vineyards across Touraine (including Vouvray and Chinon) and Cheverny, cultivating classic Loire Valley grape varieties chenin blanc, chardonnay, and cabernet franc. They produce beautiful Crémants de Loire, the region’s famous sparkling wine; however, they are most famous for their demi-sec Vouvray, one of the Loire’s greatest still white wines.
Since their introduction to the U.S. market decades ago, Château de Montfort’s lovely, handcrafted wines have remained staples. Given the Feray family’s enduring focus on quality craftsmanship, these stunning Loire Valley wines will continue to delight and impress wine enthusiasts for generations to come.
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Location
Loire Valley, France
Terroir
Located in eastern France, the Loire Valley wine region follows the path of the Loire River. Starting at the Atlantic Ocean, the valley runs east to west and spans 280 kilometers / 174 miles. Château de Montfort lies in the valley’s middle region, in the Touraine AOC. This area has a semi-maritime climate, with moderate temperatures that are ideal for vine growing and cooling breezes that keep grapes fresh.
The Montfort estate vineyards grow in clay-limestone soil on a bedrock of the Loire Valley’s sought-after chalky limestone tuffeau. This soil type allows roots to penetrate deeply and provides excellent drainage, which promotes healthy vines. Additionally, it encourages the grapes to develop high natural acidity and a complex minerality, which ultimately characterizes the estate’s elegant Crémant de Loire and Vouvray wines.
Viticulture
Situated on the limestone plateau above the Loire River in the Touraine region, the Montfort estate has a unique advantage. Unlike most châteaux in the Loire Valley, the majority of the estate’s vines surround the winemaking facility in one large parcel. The proximity allows the team to keep a close eye on the vineyards and means the grapes arrive at the winery quickly after harvesting, which is done entirely by hand, to preserve their natural freshness.
In total, Château de Montfort cultivates 30 hectares / 75 acres of vineyards throughout the Touraine AOC and Vouvray AOC. The estate primarily grows chenin blanc and chardonnay, the Loire Valley’s signature white grape varieties, as well as cabernet franc, the region’s star red grape. With an average age of over 50 years old, the vines have low yields, which produces greater concentration in the grapes.
Artfully & Traditionally Crafted Loire Valley Wines
Château de Montfort uses classic winemaking techniques to craft beautifully elegant wines. For the estate’s Crémant sparkling wines, the grapes undergo a slow pressing to extract maximum flavor. The traditional méthode champenoise gives the wines their effervescent bubbles and is followed by at least 12 months’ aging on the lees for complexity. The Vouvray wine is also slow-pressed, with fermentation stopped at 20g/L of residual sugar to balance the wine’s naturally high acidity.
