Le vignoble de Chavignol

The hillsides of Chavignol are among the oldest vineyard hillsides in Europe. Due to its importance in the local economy, the vine has continuously occupied a central place since the 10th century. Spared from land consolidations, the vineyard landscape has preserved the major lines of the land parcel pattern known at the end of the Middle Ages and constitutes a privileged setting for a heritage approach to ecological reservoir areas, turnerings, scree or hedges favorable to wildlife. At every step, the vineyard ecosystem of the Chavignol vineyard offers visitors who discover it a journey through the centuries. Five routes to explore the famous vineyard hillsides of Chavignol and its great terroirs, the "Monts Damnés," the ancient "Clos de Beaujeu," or the "Côte d'Amigny," to travel back in time and better appreciate the importance of the diversity of natural environments for sustainable viticulture. At every step, one discovers: A geological heritage that has offered winemakers exceptional terroirs: the diversity of outcrops provides a remarkable window into the late Jurassic period, when the Sancerrois region was covered by a tropical sea. A remarkable vineyard landscape, spared from land consolidations, with an extremely fragmented land registry preserving the memory of centuries of agrarian organization. The history of the great terroirs of Chavignol, which men have endeavored to differentiate since before the 13th century. First-rate floral and faunal treasures, hidden in particular in the calcareous dry grasslands that dominate the village.