This is a super lovely wine. Cherries, plums, and raspberries are as smooth as glass and offer great finesse. There is crisp acidity and the ripe red fruit stays juicy and brilliant. This is lightly earthy, reminiscent of fresh potting soil, yet it is clean and classy.

WINE INFORMATION

This estate is run by Romain Guiberteau; it was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by Clément Manguin, Romain’s great grandfather. The domaine was then passed on to Clément’s son-in-law, Robert Guiberteau, a talented winemaker and one of the founding members of the cooperative wine cellar of Saumur. In 1954, recognizing the great potential of this terroir, Robert purchased several hectares on the hill of Brézé, in particular the Clos des Carmes, considered one of the grand crus of the Loire Valley. When Robert retired in 1976, none of his children wanted to take over and the domaine was farmed out.

In 1996, at the end of a lease cycle, Romain Guiberteau, who was flailing as a law student, decided to take over the management of his family’s vineyards rather than see the leases renewed. The following year, under the mentoring of Clos Rougeard’s Nady Foucault, Romain made 5000 bottles of red wine that he managed to sell easily. The success convinced him to pursue a qualitative approach to winemaking and to gradually take back his grapes from the cooperative.

The domaine is 9.4 hectares (about 25 acres) with a little more than half of the surface planted to Chenin Blanc and the rest to Cabernet Franc. In 2000, Romain converted the vineyards to organic management and in 2003 he began the process towards the AB organic certification, obtaining it in 2007.

Grapes for this wine come from 5 acres of vines planted from 1955 to 1957. There are three parcels with silt and sand topsoils covering softer limestone bedrock. Organic grapes are harvested by hand and then carefully sorted in the vineyard. The grapes are 100% de-stemmed, fermented with indigenous yeast and aged for 6 months in tank without fining.

Charcuterie, Cheese, Chicken/Turkey, Duck, Grilled preparations, Ham, Mushrooms, Roasted Root Vegetables, Tomato Sauce, Vegetables