Bobinet VDF Rouge Aunis

Appellation: VDF Cuvée: Aunis Colour: Red Grapes: Pineau d’Aunis About: another new wine for 2020, all about the herbal, sanguine, iron cherry fruit of the grape variety. Vines Location: Saumur on the heights of Dampierre Size ha: 0.8 Age: planted 2010 Soils: limestone clay Exposition: north south Altitude m: 70 Training: on wire Farming: organic, … Continue reading Bobinet VDF Rouge Aunis

Bobinet VDF Blanc Ida

Appellation: VDF Cuvée: Ida Colour: White Grapes: Chenin Blanc About: a skin contact wine that’s really more white than orange and stays very true to the soil and variety, made from the same grapes as Poil. Super aromatic and remarkably persistent, giving pleasure once opened for a week. Ida is Sebastien’s grandmother, also vigneronne. Vines … Continue reading Bobinet VDF Blanc Ida

Sébastien Brunet IGP Grolleau Bulles

Appellation: IGP. Cuvée: Grolleau. Colour: Sparkling pink. Grapes: Grolleau 80% Gamay 20%. About: A Petillant Naturel originally made entirely from Grolleau, now with some Gamay, one of the funnest quaffing pinks we’ve tasted, from a producer who knows how to make very precise and chiseled, minimalist, bone dry white. Vines Location: from the communes of … Continue reading Sébastien Brunet IGP Grolleau Bulles

Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny La Haye Dampierre

Appellation: Saumur-Champigny Cuvée: La Haye Dampierre Colour: Red Grapes: Cabernet Franc About: First produced in 2013, from a small parcel of 40 year old vines on sandy limoneux soils. Antoine comments that the terroir here is a pleasure to work since it’s well sheltered, albeit north, north-east facing. Vines Location: Varrains, hameau de Chaintre, not … Continue reading Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny La Haye Dampierre

Antoine Sanzay Saumur Blanc Les Salles Martin

Appellation: Saumur Blanc Cuvée: Les Salles Martin Colour: White Grapes: Chenin Blanc About: Antoine’s first and only white until 2018. It possesses a very different character from the Chenin’s of the Touraine, in Vouvray and Jasnieres and from those of the Anjou around Angers. This is firm, rich, bone dry, very elegant. As of the … Continue reading Antoine Sanzay Saumur Blanc Les Salles Martin

Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny Les Terres Rouges

About: Appellation: Saumur-Champigny Cuvée: Les Terres Rouges Colour: Red Grapes: Cabernet Franc About: Antoine’s newest wine, first produced in 2016, from one tiny parcel of young Cabernet Franc vines. Antoine spotted the difference in the site and produces a wine quite distinct from the others due to the soil, later picking and use of part … Continue reading Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny Les Terres Rouges

Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux

Appellation: Saumur-Champigny Cuvée: Les Poyeux Colour: Red Grapes: Cabernet Franc About: Antoine’s version of this celebrated vineyard, where he’s fortunate to own four hectares, which abut those of Clos Rougeard. It was first produced by Antoine in 2011 and just gets better and better every year as Antoine gets to know the fruit. Farmed organically, … Continue reading Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux

Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny Cuvée Domaine / Paterne

Appellation: Saumur-Champigny Cuvée: Domaine / Paterne from 2019 Colour: Red Grapes: Cabernet Franc About: Renamed Paterne with the 2019 vintage. Antoine’s entry level wine is a lovely, pure expression of this terroir. It smacks of Curnonsky’s admonition that “things should taste of what they are”. And it demonstrates the level of quality achievable and why … Continue reading Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny Cuvée Domaine / Paterne

Antoine Sanzay

Who: Antoine Sanzay What: Saumur-Champigny, Touraine, Loire Where: Varrains, Maine-et-Loire When: Since 2002 The Story For many years, Saumur-Champigny, mostly red and sometimes white, was just another wine to slake thirsts in Paris Bistros. Its red grape Cabernet Franc destined also to lie in the shadow of much more famous Cabernet Sauvignon and the wines … Continue reading Antoine Sanzay

Overcoming the challenge of the 2018 harvest in the south of France

For the last couple of months we’ve seen the harvest all over southern France and some of Spain. This Newsletter captures a day during harvest at Les Clos Perdus. Please enjoy – it’s a bit of a longer one, the day, too. 2018 has been a year of wildly varying weather conditions, challenges and viewpoints … Continue reading Overcoming the challenge of the 2018 harvest in the south of France