Arnaud Lambert, 2019 Saumur-Champigny ‘Montée des Roches’
Arnaud Lambert is among my all-time favourite vignerons in not only Saumur-Champigny, but the whole Loire as it relates to Cabernet Franc. And over the last 10 years or so, since taking over the domaine after his father's passing in 2011, Arnaud has really honed his approach with Cabernet Franc through an improved understanding of his parcels, the soils, and also with a strong focus on organic viticulture. And when I visited the domaine back in May, it was fascinating to talk soils and viticulture with Arnaud, as well as learn how he's evolved his winemaking to get his ideal expression of Cabernet Franc from his vineyards.
Montée des Roches is one of three reds that Arnaud makes from vines planted in the commune of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg, along with Terres Rouges as well as Clos Moleton. As I have done some deep dives into other communes in Saumur-Champigny, it seems only appropriate to dive into do the same for Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg.
So this commune is one of three communes in the Saumur-Champigny appellation that is set back from the Loire River, along with Varrains and Chacé. And in fact, Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg is the furthest south in the appellation. The commune starts about just over 5km southwest of the Loire River, and it stretches about 2km from north to south.
There are two areas for viticulture in this commune. An area in the eastern part of the commune that hugs this forested area, where the vines tend to have more western exposures. And then there is an area in the western part of the commune that is bordered to the west by the Thouet River and stretches east about a 1.5 or so. And here in the western part of the commune, we can find all exposures here, north, south, east and western-facing exposures.
Now in terms of the soils, unlike some other communes in the appellation, the soils here in Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg are a little bit easier to define. The majority of the vineyards are lying between elevations between 40 to 60 or so meters above sea level, and the bedrock is the middle Turonian tuffeau, which here is known locally as craie verte, which is a glauconitic-micaceous chalk. And then there are a couple smaller pockets of higher elevation areas, around closer to 65-70m above sea level, that are on the upper Turonian yellow tuffeau.
And while the majority of the bedrock in this commune is the middle Turonian tuffeau chalk, there is a lot of variability in terms of the depths and textures of the topsoils, as well as the stoniness of the surface, and this will inevitably have a huge baring on viticulture as it relates to the vine's access to water, vine vigour, potential yields, budbreak, rootstock choices, etc.
So, today's wine is coming from a selection vines that are on average 35 years of age from parcels totalling about 1.5 hectares located in the western part of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg. The parcels have an eastern exposure, and we're on the middle Turonian tuffeau chalk bedrock. The main influence here in terms of topsoil is clay. There's about 20cm of a mostly clay topsoil, then there is 30cm or so of a silty-sand subsoil, and then we hit the chalk bedrock right after that. The parcels are moderately stony as well, with 25-50% stones.
And I had a chance to visit this parcel with Arnaud when I was in the Loire in May, and Arnaud made my day by bringing a shovel along with him. He dug a hole so that we could examine the texture and composition of the soils together, and what we really interesting to me is how much cooler the clay was compared to the previous block we visited, which had more sand in the topsoil. And I know from my studies that clay is a cooler soil because of its ability to retain moisture, but it was really neat to hold a chunk of clay in my hand and feel how much cooler it was. And the impact of the clay here, as well as the proximity to the tuffeau bedrock, influences Arnaud's approach to this wine in the cellar.
So from a winemaking perspective, the fruit is all hand-picked and destemmed, and it is left 100% whole berry. Fermentation is with indigenous yeast, with a 1/3 in concrete egg, and the remaining in stainless steel. The time on skins is about 10 to 14 days, and the maceration is via infusion. And Arnaud's approach to time on skins and maceration has been one of the most significant evolutions to Arnaud's approach with Cabernet Franc over the last 10 years. He's shortened his macerations quite a bit, and does very little by way of extractions, with the goal of achieving a more elegant mouthfeel and a more complete middle palate. In terms of the aging for this wine, 50% is aged in 2 to 3 year old oak barrels, and 50% in concrete tanks for about 8 months. These are then reassembled and aged in stainless steel for 6 months before bottling.
Key wine wine facts below:
Producer: Arnaud Lambert (Château de Brézé)
Appellation: Saumur-Champigny
Commune: Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg
Soils: Mostly clay topsoil (20cm), silty-sand subsoil (30cm), “craie verte” bedrock (middle Turonian glauconitic-micaceous chalk)
Alcohol: 13.5%
