Bouvet Ladubay: 175 years of sparkling know-how

As the fourth generation heading up one of the Loire Valley’s oldest sparkling wine producers, Juliette Monmousseau is current custodian of a heritage founded in 1851 by Etienne Bouvet and Célestine Ladubay.

Celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, Bouvet Ladubay specialises in traditional-method sparkling from key denominations Saumur AOP and Crémant de Loire AOP.

The whites, which include the Saphir Saumur Brut and Crémant de Loire Blanc de Blancs, are made from a blend of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay; rosé cuvées from Cabernet Franc and Grolleau.

Built to last

Typically made as blanc de blancs, the wines are aged on their lees for longer than the minimum required for their appellations, adding texture and complexity. The Trésor Saumur Brut, for example, sees six months in French oak barrels and spends at least 24 months on its lees.

While people don’t often think of ageing Loire Valley sparkling wines, thanks to their high levels of acidity, careful winemaking, extended lees contact, and oak influence, these wines show good cellaring potential.

All cuvées are produced using sustainable viticulture practices and are High Environmental Value (HVE) certified.

The result of this meticulous attention to detail is that Bouvet Ladubay has been recognised at international competitions. Its Ogmius Brut 2015 in magnum received a Platinum medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025, making it the only French sparkling outside of Champagne to do so.

Judges described it as follows: ‘Astonishing illuminations of stone fruit, lemon, grapefruit, hawthorn and honeysuckle on the nose with toasted brioche circling the palate. The creamy mousse fuels the long finish.’

Bouvet Ladubay’s vineyards are characterised by Saumur’s famous ‘tuffeau’ limestone soils – chalky stone which imparts elegant minerality and seashell aromas to the wines.

A creative campus

The winery is also home to the Bouvet Ladubay Contemporary Art Center, which opened in 1991. It brings together the art and wine worlds through yearly exhibitions of prominent contemporary artists.

It also offers tours, on foot or by bicycle, of its ‘underground cathedral,’ a series of tunnels underneath the ruins of La Belle d’Anjou abbey. These tunnels are both the winery’s cellars, where more than 1,000 oak barrels lie in religious silence, and also the backdrop for a striking installation of carved monumental sculptures. After your visit, make sure to stay for a tasting.

Bouvet Ladubay’s sparkling wines are stocked in the UK by Majestic and Justerini & Brooks.

Learn more about Bouvet Ladubay

Discover 175 years of Bouvet Ladubay

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