Domaine Villemaine is a Loire-based family domain with quite a lot of practice at making fantastic wine. To be more specific: they’ve had 200 years and 8 generations of practice, making them a good 115 years older than the Touraine appellation itself. The current heads of the domaine are brothers Alex and Jeremy, who officially joined their father Jean-Marc in 2015. Alex, the vastly more talkative brother, runs the business, while the strong silent Jeremy can be more reliably caught in the cellar or in the vineyards. Despite their different aptitudes, the brothers are in absolute lockstep on their goals: converting their 45 ha of vines to organics and revitalizing the winemaking, cutting inputs and building fresher and livelier wines. We’re happy to say that they’ve succeeded – the estate’s wines are vital, delicious and remarkably unpretentious; true representatives of Loire terroir at a nearly unbeatable price.


The domaine sits in the village of Thésée at the historic crossroads of the Touraine, Berry, and Sologne regions, surrounded by the Cher River and ancient Gallo-Roman archaeology.
Located south of the Loire River, the domaine’s temperate climate, hot summers, mild winters, and ample rainfall makes for a remarkable freshness in its wines. Similarly, the domaine’s climate is moderated by both the maritime climate of the lower Loire Valley and more continental features that come from its inland position, further from the Atlantic's moderating influence. The clay-limestone soil supports water retention and draining, allowing for the cultivation of more structured, crisp wines.


The laudable geography is compounded by the farming – the brothers gained HVE certification in 2018 and began the conversion to organics in 2020. As it stands today, all of our offerings from the domaine are completely certified. Complementing the farming and terroir, the cellar is pretty classical – these are ideal btg wines and taste great open for 3+ days, even if it seems unlikely they won’t get drunk far quicker than that. Ferments in the domaine are spontaneous, and none of the wines are filtered, while occasionally bentonite is used to ensure the whites are fresh and lees-free at bottling. Ultimately, the cellar work prioritizes precision, while still letting the Loire freshness and easy-going fun shine through.