The Côte de la Houssaye is certainly our original terroir. It overlooks the wild valley of the Hyrôme river and its water mill, that of Vincent's great-grandfather, a miller and then reconverted winegrower by founding the estate at the end of the 19th century. The vines are surrounded by hedges, woods and a small road, the Côte, which slopes steeply down to the river. This terroir faces south-east. The hedged farmland, open towards the other bank of the Hyrôme, is rural and bucolic. The very stony soil is made up of Sandstone Schists from the Briovérien, typical of the left bank of the Layon and particularly of our village. The Côte de la Houssaye, a very hot and dry terroir, gives Cabernet Sauvignon a remarkable balance at such a northern latitude for this grape variety.