To think I almost skipped this! On a recent roadtrip through France, this turned out to be my…read morefavorite of the many chateaus that I visited. The entire complex is immaculately maintained, which can't be said for the much more famous Chateau of Versailles. The house itself was not as decadent as others, which made it a bit more relatable. For example, on the upper floor were children's bedrooms. Outside, you could spend hours wandering the famous gardens and taking pictures. From the geometric hedges to the water features to the labyrinth, the entire complex is simply beautiful!

Chateau and garden is one of my favorite. This chateau is famous on the very well maintained…read moregarden. The chateau was built 1536. This is the actual chateau without castle. It listed as UNESCO world heritage site for their landscape. The chateau has 14 rooms to visit. I like the drawing and study room. It has a grand piano in that room. The office of Joachim Carvallo is the location he plans his vegetable garden. The dining room has a checker board marble floor. The Prince Jerome's bedroom is Napoleons youngest brother. The red silk reflects military lance. There table in front of the bed has decorative surface. The garden is huge. There are total 7 sections. This includes Ornamental, Wood, Water, Sun, Maze, Herb and Vegetable Garden. The ornamental garden is my favorite. This garden has multiple colors. The edge of each tree or bush corner was perfectly trim. Picture perfect. I wish my lawn care company can do this.

One of our favorite winery visits in all of France! Small, family operation that clearly takes…read morepride in what they do. We took the brief tour, then enjoyed an excellent tasting with charcuterie included. Bought a mixed case to ship home, as the prices are great value even with the freight added! We think the quality of wine stands alongside any in France.

Pierre and Bertrand Couly specializes in red wines from Chinon. They also sell some whites from…read moreother regions but we were there to try the reds All the grapes are Cab Franc but it was very interesting to taste the difference from the varying soil contents. About 100,000 bottles are produced each year and all their wine is aged in stainless steel We preferred the more full-bodied, mineral-based flavors but also enjoyed the lighter rosé and could easily recommend it as well. We purchased bottled while there but we're advised they can ship to the US, from a CA-based shipping company And as we were leaving, we were given a discount voucher for nearby Chateaux. Lovely stop!

I visited for a guided tour on a rainy day. The rain didn't matter, of course, since the entire…read moreexperience is underground! Excellent experience led by a very knowledgeable young lady who offered the tour in both English and France. It was impressive to see the extensive caves and the incomprehensible number of fermenting bottles stacked up everywhere. After the tour, we were offered a tasting of their wines. The host was not stingy and let us taste whichever ones we wanted from the menu.

A fabulous choice for both sparkling and still wines in Saumur. This location specializes in…read moresparkling, and for a small fee, you can have a guided tour (in French or English!) of the production facilities and learn everything you wanted to know about the production of sparkling wine. You also can glimpse the personal cellar of the head winemaker, which is an interesting opportunity. In the end, you taste several of their terrific offerings. This is a required stop for anyone visiting the region's wineries.

One of the largest and most established sparkling wine producers in the region, this company gets…read morefive stars for many reasons, but most of all for making Zéro - a sparkling wine without sugar for the crispest, best sparkling around. In addition to tastings (of many delicious offerings), they offer tours of their facility with education on how wine is made in English and French. Note that the facility you tour is not their main production facility, but you still get the idea. This is a must stop for anyone in Saumur looking to try sparkling wines!

Wine tasting in the middle of a more "industrialized" setting. There is no vineyard here. You…read morepark the car, enter the building and taste some wine Have to say I did not care for anything we tasted & I tried really hard to like their wine. Even the "famous" Gerard Depardieu wine was not to my liking. The staff didn't provide any kind of history about the grapes or region or how the wine was made - it was as if she was purely there to pour wine Mr ended up purchasing 2 bottles to give away as gifts as he felt so guilty we had tasted so many varieties.....but the tastebuds know what they know & we have tasted better

Fantastic! Loved the food, the people and the decor. Great recommendations on what to eat. Loved…read morethe fondue

Make reservations or you won't be seated inside. Owner was great. Ordered Aligot potatoes which…read morecame with nice light salad couldn't eat it all. Chicken wings came with a very nice bleu cheese dip. Chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream for dessert was delicious -small but mighty. Wine selection was enough. If you sit in the street the cars can get real close!

Frederic Mabileau offers amazing white & reds…read more Started with a light and very floral Chenin des Rouilleres that reminded me of a Riesling - lovely! The Bourgueil reds wines are mostly Cab Franc but they also had a Cabernet Sauvignon and another variety we did not try. We could definitely tell the difference with those aged in steel and those via oak barrel and there was also a very noticeable and interesting difference from the sand / clay / limestone soil content as well as the age of the vines producing the grapes.....all seems very basic but when we could taste all these nuances at the same time from the same wine producer, it was amazing We selected bottles of the Racines and the Eclipse to take back home with us and if you prefer, they can also ship to the US

L'Aulee makes a sparkling Chenin Blanc wine. The husband and wife team have collective knowledge…read morefrom places like Bollinger. I'm not a huge champagne person so this makes for a good alternative. Relatively inexpensive and very dry on the palate, it makes for a good pairing with delicate raw fish or shellfish.