Le Clos Galerne Moulin Brule Anjou Blanc AOP 2021

The name was immediately familiar. The Moulin Brûlé – the ‘burnt windmill’ – sits surrounded by vines, on a slope looking down upon the valley of the Layon. During the Middle Ages the peaks above both the Layon and Aubance rivers were dotted with windmills just like this one, the land serving two agricultural purposes; vines were planted on the craggy soils of the slopes, while the richer land of the plateau was planted to wheat and other arable crops. The mills were built to grind the grain, but as the vine began to dominate the landscape they fell into disuse. Today, while a handful have been restored or rebuilt, most are mere ruins, the upper wooden sections having long rotted away, leaving just the stone base.