Saumur-Champigny is the Place to Be.

 Easing back into the Cabernet Franc side of the Loire Project, after we recently navigated through the Anjou & Saumur, leaving a few notable stones and bottles unturned for the moment.

It is time to explore the appellation of Saumur-Champigny!

Saumur-Champigny Vineyard 

(image courtesy of istock)

As you can see from this map above we are headed just northeast of Anjou and Saumur, though technically still located in both as a sub appellation, we slowly meander further up the Loire River where Saumur-Champigny is located. Tucked right into a slight bend of the river, where the land plateaus and flattens, opening to one of the warmest spots in all the Loire. Saumur-Champigny which means "fields of fire" is well known for its red wines. These red wines are most commonly 100% Cabernet Franc but the region does allow up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Pineau d'Aunis. Saumur-Champigny got its AOP designation in 1957 and today is home to over 100 different growers spread over 1,500 hectares. There is a great diversity of soil types through these vineyards, similar to neighboring Saumur, but here lies a bedrock predominately made of limestone or tuffeau as its locally known. The tuffeau is the foundation throughout the appellation. Its what the caves that house the cellars and sometimes even the homes of its residents reign supreme. The overall landscape of Champigny is more flat with much thinner layers of the alluvial gravel top soils compared to those of Chinon & Bourgueil.  This thinner top soil is highly sought after for planting Chenin, but the white grape are not favored in Saumur-Champigny. Reds that can possess a supple fruity quality with bright acidity and substance are the majority of wines produced here!

the Lineup

Clotilde Legrand Les Terrages 2019

Chateau du Hureau Lisagathe 2014

Chateau du Hureau Tuffe 2021 (375ml)

Fabien Duveau Les Menais 2021

Poured blind and assessed on aromas, palate and overall drinkability and complexity!

My Thoughts and the Results...

Chateau du Hureau Tuffe 2021 (375ml) (90pts)

Aromas have a dark umami driven red fruit base, tart cherry, white pepper, herbaceous tomato leaf, potpourri of violets and roses.

Palate is a mixture of ripe field berries, composted forest, thyme, sage, lovage, tart apple skins, crunchy red fruit and berry compote lingers with structured earthiness and silky tannins.

Delicious in every aspect, yet highly contemplative and complex interplay of dense fruit and mysterious earthy herbaceousness showing glimpses of dark composted earth and floral complexity.  

Chateau du Hureau Lisagathe 2014 (88pts)

Aromas of musty red fruit, dried cherry, apple skins, licorice, thyme, composted forest, cedar and hints of frankincense and graphite.

Palate is layered with soft plump blueberry, blackberry, mossy bark, black plum skins, orange pith and a floral earthy backbone that integrates nicely and lengthens the finish nicely.

Silky body with dense earth intertwined with harmonious layers of fruity acidity and herbal earthen spice.

Clotilde Legrand Les Terrages 2019 (85pts)

Aromas of candied red fruit, soft vanilla, dough sugar cookie, red clay and reserved hints of composted forest floor, black raspberry, raspberry leaf tea, dried cherry, cedar and rosehips.  

Palate is earthy but bright with  macerated black raspberry acidity evolving with mysterious layers of earthy licorice, unripe alpine strawberry, rosemary, wet moss and 

Easy on the palate, varietal correct, just not as complex as the other offerings here.

Fabien Duveau Les Menais 2021 (86pts)

Aromas are mossy tree bark, dried cherry, cedar chips, apple skins and a light mint kissed rosemary warmth.

Palate is fresher and brighter than the nose offered with ripe red fruits, crunchy gala apple, berry compote, grape soda, blood orange and plum skin linger with a touch of herbal hints but way more restrained in the earthy undertones.

Soft inviting wine with a velvety structure, guided by ripe focused red fruits and hints of earthy mystery but more subdued than most of the others.

A great grouping of wines from Saumur-Champigny with a two on two lineup from Chateau Yvonne and Domaine des Roches Neuves on deck for later this week!

Enough Anjou... Just Give Me Saumur! (the Loire Project 2025)

       

As my foraging through Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley continues to uncover more discoveries, the terroir of the Anjou and Saumur regions gain more clarity and focus on my palate as the understanding of these appellations grows with every cork I pull.

(Chateau de Saumur)

As I approached the last flight of Chenins from the Anjou and Saumur section of my cellar. My excitement and enthusiasm continues to grow as I compare and contrast each offering as the week evolves and the wines along with them. I typically go through two blind flights with each grouping of wines, the first one within 24hrs of opening them and then another 48-72hrs down the road. So far the results have been consistent with each flight, give or take a point here and there, and one occasion where the VA aka volatile acidity in the wine seemed to overtake it but overall its a nice opportunity to get to know the tendencies of these wines and to better grasp each expression in all of its stages.

As I stated in my previous Two Anjou vs Two Saumurs tasting, I was very excited to work my way up the ladder of offerings and these four wines are among my final crescendo of Chenins that I was eager to taste from the Anjou and Saumur regions. The exception to that being a choice bottle or two along with the highly esteemed Savenniers appellation and a couple sweet wines from along the Layon River that I haven't quite decided on the occasion to sip. But for now lets introduce this stellar group of chenins! 

the Lineup 

Chateau Yvonne Saumur Blanc 2022

Benoit Courault Gilbourg Blanc 2021

Chateau Bois Brincon Terre de Gres Anjou Blanc 2020

Thierry Germain L'Insolite Saumur 2023 

(pictured left to right)

Poured blind and evaluated on aroma, palate and overall drinking experience.

My Thoughts and the Results.

Thierry Germain L'Insolite Saumur 2023 (94pts)

Aromas of wet slate, beeswax, grilled pears, dried apple, savory spice, cardamom, thyme, lemon oil & wildflower honey.

Palate has focused acidity balanced by a supple weight.  Layered apple, pear and quince fruit with undertones of tropical glimpses and swirling layers of citrus. Lemon balm, lemon thyme, arugula, beeswax and complex minerality that leans on limestone and granite dust. 

Lengthy palate with harmonious balance between bright angular acidity and austere softness.

Chateau Bois Brincon Terre de Gres Anjou Blanc 2020 (93pts)

Aromas of unripe stonefruits, crunchy apple, tight citrus, dried straw and nuanced hints of dried mango, honeydew melon, springwater, wet stone.

Palate has some old neutral wood unifying it with just a whispered presence as the freshness and minerality shine. Fleshy crisp apple, lemon peel, sorrel, pithy orange zest, beeswax and wildflowers.

Bright refreshing wine with just a touch of austereness adding complexity throughout.

Chateau Yvonne Saumur Blanc 2022 (90pts)

Aromas of smoked apples, musk melon, pineapple spears, wet wool, dandelion blossoms, spearmint and soft baking spice.

Palate is fleshy baked orchard fruits, bitter almond, wet wool, slightly oxidative bruised apple, black trumpets, white flowers, oak spice, wet gravel and wood ash.

Definitely more evocative and austere than vibrant with stewed fruit complexity mingling with earthy mushroom and composted fruits.

Benoit Courault Gilbourg Blanc 2021 (89pts)

Aromas of juicy fruit gum, orange marmalade, lemon curd, grilled pineapple, crushed stone, candied fennel, marzipan and a flinty smoke accent.

Palate has a nice balance of weight and acidity with layered complexity of flavors. Apple skins, baked blood orange, cumin, asparagus, grilled pears, banana, lemon thyme, beeswax.

Cohesive wine with rustic appeal but loses a bit of complexity from nose to tongue but finds harmony within its contrasts. 

As the spring weather does what it does here in Maine, my focus has not waned and the vast bottles of Loire Valley delights I have cracked has only just begun. It has been a hectic few weeks full of wine shows and seminars as Spring is always the busy time of new vintages to taste, portfolio additions to consider and the floodgates begin to crack as the importers and distributors start making more frequent appearances. The tariff talks have been front and center of a lot of conversations while the ground continues to thaw and the future of trade as we know it dangles in the wind, we can only urge you to go grab a few bottles of your favorite wines and try to find a touch of focus and contemplation during these choppy times.