Savennières Savennières Savennières is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It lies near the Loire River south west of Angers and is best known for its production of highly rated white wine. With production predominantly centred on the Chenin blanc grape, it is famed for its particularly long-lasting dry white wine comparable to that of Vouvray. The area around Savennières is used for the production of white wine from Chenin blanc grapes. The wines are mostly dry, often produced in a powerful style, and the best examples (such as those produced by Nicolas Joly's Château de la Roche
Tuffeau stone Tuffeau stone Tuffeau stone — in French, simply tuffeau or tufeau — is a local limestone of the Loire Valley of France. It is characterized as a chalky or sandy, fine-grained limestone, white to yellowish-cream in appearance, and micaceous (containing some white flakes of mica, or muscovite). The soft stone is extracted from numerous quarries and has made a major mark on the architectural landscape of the Loire and its tributaries — especially the valley's world-famous chateaux. Tuffeau dates to the Mesozoic era (Upper Cretaceous Turonian stage). The Loire Valley formed the floor of a vast sea 90 million years