13 Vents is a lieu-dit planted on carboniferous schist with vines averaging 40 years old and exposed full south. Located in the neighboring village of Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné, there is more wind here than Bézigon and La Roche, resulting in less mildew and illness. The soils are also poorer here than Garnier's historic parcels, resulting in lower yields and higher concentration. Clearly a top wine for JC.

JC Garnier

Jean-Christophe was a sommelier before deciding to pack it in and actually make the stuff. He studied winemaking in the Loire and after a stage with Marc Angeli bought a few plots of vines and started making his own wine.

He has some 60-year-old and 40-year-old Chenin vines and a bit of Cabernet Franc, Grolleau, Gamay and Pineau d’Aunis. The vines grow on schist, limestone and marl – the distinctive terroir of the Layon valley. It is not just the vineyards that make JCG’s wines so special; his Chenins spend a long time pressing softly so as to extract the juice gently – there can be a delicate oxidative quality that adds to the complexity of these wines.