The Wine Estate
» Délice, amour et orgues sont féminins au pluriel… Une rareté comme les chenins de Bilazais.
Au lieu dit « Bilazais » de Oiron une pente s’ incline paisiblement vers la plaine. Là, les chenins paressent au soleil depuis des siècles. Ici le vin développe des délices fines, et trop peu connues. Pourtant, ici , Curnonsky baptisé » le prince des gastronomes » au XIXe siècle saluait déjà ses saveurs. Le chenin est l’un des cépages royal des vins blancs. Vif, gai, il sait aussi offrir des richesses étourdissantes et développer des charmes délicats, sans esbrouffe. Ce vin est joyeux comme un gentilhomme, et noble comme une caresse. » – Balthazar
Located on the southwest edge of the Paris Basin, the subsoil consists of limestone sedimentary formations from the Secondary Era, dating back to the Jurassic Toarcian stage (185 million years ago).
Limestone soil.
Sol calcaire.
Our Family
It was in 1898 that the first grafted vines from the Domaine were purchased by Eugène Gigon from two suppliers: Boinot Père & Fils and Thison.
These are the Chenin, Groslot (or Grolleau) and Gamay grape varieties. These grape varieties have survived through the generations, and we still work with them today.
In 1937, his son Marcel Gigon took over the 3-hectare estate.
The estate was then passed down within the family once again, with Michel and Anne Gigon taking over in 1968.
From the creation of the estate until 1970, work in the vineyards was carried out using horse power.
Michel Gigon was a pioneer in the recognition of our terroir at the national level, and played an important role in the creation of the VDQS Vin du Thouarsais.
From 1973, a new product was produced entirely on the farm: the arrival of the Traditional Method.
In 1999, the Estate was passed on to their son, François Gigon, and it then reached an area of 6 hectares of vines.
About me
As a young winemaker in Oiron in the Thouarsais region (Poitou-Charentes), I took over the 7-hectare family vineyard in September 2024.
Before taking over our family vineyard in September 2024, I was a plumber/heating engineer. I went through a professional transition in 2017-2018, going back to school to study Viticulture & Œnology. I then shared my time between wine and plumbing for a few years, collaborating with several winemakers and building experience before taking over our Gigon family vineyard.