Xavière Hardy

is a dedicated and radical winemaker based in the small commune of La Chapelle-Glain in the Loire Valley, where she founded Les Terres Bleues with her first vintage in 2015. Working on a tiny, intensely focused estate, Xavière has quickly established a reputation for producing some of the most exciting and pure natural wines in the region.

🌿 A Commitment to Biodynamics and Terroir

Xavière's approach is defined by an absolute commitment to her land and minimal intervention:

• The Blue Schist: The domaine's name, Les Terres Bleues (The Blue Lands), is a direct reference to the unique blue schist soil—a highly prized, mineral-rich, and rare metamorphic rock found on her small plots. This schist gives the wines their distinct silky texture, minerality, and richness.

• Biodynamic Farming: With a background connected to agriculture, Xavière manages her small 1.5-hectare vineyard using biodynamic principles and is certified organic (AB) and biodynamic (Demeter). She entirely avoids synthetic treatments, instead utilizing herbal teas and decoctions made from local plants (nettle, horsetail, oak bark) and working meticulously with the lunar calendar.

• Hand-Tended Vines: Believing that "connection to the plant is paramount," Xavière tends her vines entirely by hand, often employing the traditional échalas (stake) training method to keep the vine's natural shape and promote better grape maturity.

🍇 Varietals and Philosophy

Xavière chose specific, adapted varietals for her unique schist terroir, focusing on quality and purity:

• Key Grapes: The vineyards are planted with Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Grolleau Noir.

• Cellar Work: In the winery, her philosophy is fiercely non-interventionist. All wines are 100% grape, made with spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts, no filtration or fining, and absolutely no oenological inputsor added sulfur (soufre).

The result of Xavière Hardy's meticulous, hands-on work are low-alcohol, elegant, and intensely gouleyant (easy-drinking) wines—pure expressions of the blue schist and the Loire Valley's character. She represents the new guard of Loire winemakers who are dedicating themselves to the forgotten power of natural farming.