WINEMAKERS

Gosseaume is a well-known name in Oisly: two brothers own an estate in the area. Thierry, the youngest, is the proud owner of “Domaine de la Chapelle”.

After his father’s accident in 1995, the winemaker’s role came quicker than expected to Thierry. At the young age of 25 years old, alone with 20 hectares of vines, he rolled up his sleeves and quickly assumed his profession. His brother Lionel joined him in 2007, before each of them gradually decided to go their own way.

Thierry is based in Choussy, a small village in the Loire-et-Cher where he has been the mayor since 2009. A key role place for a man of all fronts who brilliantly combines his lives as an elected official, a winemaker, and a father. These facets are not so far apart when we know that Thierry is preparing to hand over his estate… to one of his sons!

Everything is going fast with Lionel! When he speaks, his sentences flow without pause, just like his own story.

He is a son of Oisly. With his brother Thierry, he grew up on a small farm in a 100% agricultural lifestyle. Their parents reared goats and sheep as well as cultivated wheat, vegetables, and vines! Young Lionel swore he would « never become a winemaker and go far away from his birthland! » Yet, after training for other jobs (always directly linked with the wine world without ever having worked the vineyard), he decided to return home and create his own estate in 2007, not far from the family land. A challenge to himself and – in a way – to his father recently passed away. Choussy is the village where he settled: « in the heart of this exceptional white wine terroir » as he proudly states.

As a self-taught entrepreneur, he never forgets to share his experience with the young winemakers wishing to settle in the Loire Valley. Firstly as President of InterLoire (from 2020 to 2023) but above all as a true passionate of this world of wine which is moving as fast as he is!

Anne-Sophie grew up there, at Château de la Presle. Of the three daughters of Jean-Marie Penet (a local figure and former mayor of Oisly!), that is her who continues to write the story that began five generations ago.

Anne-Sophie is not alone! On her side, her husband Frédéric. He left his native Burgundy to join the Penet family and work with the sauvignon blanc grape. The two of them have created a whole new energy into the estate. When they took over the reins in 1998, the couple – over the years – converted their vines to Terra Vitis (a sustainable cultivation method) with the aim of promoting the specific qualities Touraine Oisly’s wines.

That’s how things work at Château de la Presle, with each one of them taking care of its own field as well as moving moving toward the same direction. While Frédéric makes his Friday deliveries to Paris a weekly routine, Anne-Sophie offers a warm welcome to the visitors into their superb underground cellar beneath the property. A well-oiled duo!

Choosing the name of a wine estate is an important act. When you decide on the first name of the first woman (who died at the age of 99) to own the vine’s property the symbolism is even more powerful. There is no doubt, at Domaine Octavie, family – and womanhood – is central.

Isabelle is the fifth generation this family from Oisly. She took over the estate from her father after a first career in banking… far away from the hustle and bustle of yeast! Her husband Noë, nursery trained gardener, joined to help his father-in-law before becoming a full-time winemaker at Domaine Octavie.

A well-oiled machine, Isabelle takes charge of developing sales, especially exports, and welcomes visitors with her contagious smile. Noë is the master of the vines and the cellar: the Oisly’s typical sandy-clay soils hold no secrets for him. Together, they take the big decisions, such as cultivate the vines according to the Terra Vitis specifications (since 2001!) and the European organic farming label (since 2024!) or vinifying only low-sulphur wine. This attention to detail is self-imposed by the couple in order to preserve the purity of the Oisly wines, which they consider to be “the jewel of Touraine”!

At the Barbou’s we are winegrowers from father to son! “I never saw myself doing anything else,” confides Dominique. After several decades of working as his father’s right-hand man, this only child naturally took over the reins of the “Domaine des Corbillières” in 1989.

Dominique is none other than the great-grandson of Fabel Barbou, a legend in Touraine for reintroducing the Sauvignon Blanc grape to the local vineyard at the beginning of the last century. The family’s attachment to the Oisly terroir is evident.

For over ten years, Dominique defended and lead the efforts until 2011 and the recognition of the Touraine Oisly AOP by the INAO. As president of this young appellation his commitment is first and foremost to the next generation. Today, Dominique works closely with his son Nicolas, to whom he hopes to hand over the “Domaine des Corbillières”… when his time will come to put away his famer’s boots!

Aude and Emmanuel are a breath of fresh air in Touraine, and proof that the region is attracting young people to settle here! For them, it all began in Bordeaux. Once they had their oenology and engineering degrees, they craved to see and learn everything. Thus, they set off… far away, in order to train in Burgundy, Australia, New Zealand and Chile.

Subsequently, by working for others, the desire to build their own project began to grow. When one of the family’s neighbors offered Aude to take over her vineyards, the couple had no hesitation in returning to where it all seemed to have begun. On the land of her winegrowing ancestors, Aude could finally express herself. And right from the start in 2015, the ambitions were set: organically farmed vines followed by conversion to biodynamic viticulture, natural winemaking (some experimental, in amphorae) and opening the estate’s doors to visitors. No doubt that Divin Loire wants to dust off the Touraine region and settle down for good in the Touraine Oisly’s wine landscape!

What a pair! Behind a passionate winemaker sometimes hide an equally zealous winegrower. Don’t look for a story of peasant child’s: neither Sandrine nor Benjamin grew up in the farming world.

These two found themselves at the “Agrocampus” of Tours-Fondettes in Touraine during their oenology diplomas.  The couple preferred to leave the Touraine at first, to explore their dreams and the world of wine, from New Zealand to the Var and Switzerland. During their adventures, they fell for Sauvignon Blanc and its aromatic variations. The quest for this taste quickly led them to finally return to Touraine in the early 2000s. And not just anywhere, to one of the exceptional terroirs of this world-renowned grape variety: Oisly! As the first winegrowers in the AOP to be certified by the European organic farming label, they have always shown their commitment to “accompanying Nature which must be observed and understood in order to help it without being forced”. Driven by two curious people and open to the world, you can bet that Domaine Delobel is only at the beginning of its adventure…

If we wanted to summarize the wines and a part of the history of Touraine Oisly in simple way, Domaine de Marcé would be the perfect example: a family estate, handed down from father to son, which has gradually supplanted the local production of gherkins, blackcurrants and asparagus with the cultivation of the vine.

Christophe grew up there in Marcé, on the family farm. The love for his land comes from his father (who has 50 harvests to his name!) and his grandfather: one of the founders of the ‘Confrérie de Oisly’.

For more than 30 years, Christophe has been observing and learning on the job. He is the seventh generation to inherit an unspeakable legacy, one that will be naturally displayed on these bottles when the estate first bore his own name: he was one of the first winemakers to label his wines “from Oisly”… 10 years before the the French National Institute of origin and quality (INAO) gave him its supreme recognition!

Jean-Luc was born a winemaker before he really became one. In the Mardon family, the estate has been handed down for five generations from father to son: a traditional farming family, naturally focused on locally grown produce.

His father Guy is one of the figures who have shaped the Oisly’s wine landscape.
He recognized before the others the extraordinary potential of the terroirs in the area, giving a glimpse of the future development of Touraine Oisly’s wines. Some might call him a visionary; others would simply see a farmer with common sense!

As an owner of a 40-hectares estate for over 20 years, Jean-Luc’s trajectory may seem common. But that would be ignoring the man’s tenacity and his leading role in obtaining the Touraine Oisly AOP. Even as one of the pioneers of the appellation, he never stops enhancing his work within each vintage. Jean-Luc’s curiosity never cease him from learning new things. Most recently he took a course in organic and natural winemaking, in a way cultivating the 'Mardon spirit': a commitment that is the farmer's common sense!

Raphaël's vines are an exception in the Touraine Oisly appellation. The vines of the family estate are planted on the clay & siliceous soils of Chémery, which mark a difference from the sandy soils usually found in the wine-growing area of Sologne. This mineral soil - which is also rich in iron - has enabled the estate to build its reputation around its white sauvignon, Touraine Oisly and red’s wines. Raphaël and his wife Annie fully embrace their particularness. Together, they are writing a new history for the Domaine de Bellevue, which they have renamed quite simply: Domaine Raphaël Midoir. The duo is working to preserve the ecosystem around their vines. The surrounding forests and the family pond are a heaven for wild animals... and for their fishermen sons! Thinking strongly about the legacy of this sixth generation, the couple have taken the next step: they are gradually certifying the estate's plots for organic farming: to establish Chémery as a wine-growing paradise for Touraine Oisly’s wines!

« To be a winemaker, you also have to be a bit of an artist ». This maxim perfectly sums up
the spirit of Benoît, a winemaker who combines humor, peasant pragmatism and great
sensitivity. Although deeply attached to the Loire region, he only discovered Touraine Oisly’s
terroir later. When looking for Sauvignon plots, he was lucky enough to take over old vines
and immerse himself in the unique world of the appellation.

For Benoît, the appeal of the business lies in this relentless quest for singularity, as evidenced
by the composition of its soils - predominantly flint and dotted with fossilized sea urchins. It
is this geological diversity, but also the novelty he seeks in his cuvées, that gives the wine its
magic. In addition to his Touraine Oisly, which he doesn't produce every year, he has created
an eclec4c range, a true blend of terroir and creativity, where his passion for exploration and
his touch of audacity come together.