Domaine des Roches Neuves (Thierry Germain), 2017 Saumur-Champigny ‘Clos de l'Echelier’
Thierry Germain of Domaine des Roches Neuves is among the upper echelon of vignerons, not only here Saumur-Champigny and the Loire, but really in all of France. Employing biodynamic principles in the vineyard and the cellar, Thierry's understanding of relationship between his Cabernet Franc vines and the soils in which they are planted is profound. As demonstrated through his five cuvée parcellaires, of which today's wine is one of them, this intimate connection Thierry has with his vines and their soils translates into wines that have remarkable clarity, energy and balance.
Today's wine is taking us to the commune of Dampierre-sur-Loire in Saumur-Champigny. And as I've mentioned before, there are 9 historical communes that make up the AOP. Now I use the word "historical" because a few of these communes, such as Dampierre-sur-Loire, have actually merged politically or administratively into larger municipalities, but from a wine perspective, as far as the Saumur-Champigny appellation's wine laws are concerned, communes like Dampierre-sur-Loire are treated individually.
Dampierre-sur-Loire is one of the 6 communes in the appellation hugs the banks of the Loire River and then stretches southwest into the centre of the appellation - in this case the commune runs about 3km from north to south. The vineyards closest to the Loire will generally receive a stronger moderating influence than those set back from the Loire, so this will influence budbreak and harvest, but this will also be influenced by the nature and depth of the topsoil as well - sand being a little warmer of a soil, clay a little cooler.
The topography of this commune is quite varied, and the nature of the topography has exposed different types of soils. In the north and northeastern parts of the commune, as well as the southwestern portion of the commune where is borders Varrains, the vineyards are at altitudes of around 45-60m, and the bedrock here is generally the upper or middle Turonian tuffeau, with varying topsoils depending on the site. In the centre and southern part of the commune, we find vineyards at a slightly higher elevation from say around 60m to 85m, the soils date to the Senonian and Eocene eras, and we have wide variety of clays, sands, mixed with flint, limestone or sandstone stones or pebbles depending on where you are.
Where the Clos de l'Echelier is located, we are very close to the Loire River, just a couple hundred metres away at an elevation of 58m. And the clos is surrounded by trees, a wide variety of trees, that Theirry explains is important for the biodiversity of this vineyard. The bedrock here is the middle Turonian tuffeau chalk, which in this particular part of the appellation is defined as the craie verte, which is this glauconitic and micaceous chalk, which has a slightly higher iron content in it, which over time with weathering to have a slight green-ish hue. There is very little topsoil in this vineyard, we only have about 30 to 50cm before we hit the tuffeau, and the texture of the topsoil is a mix of clay, silt and sand, with a moderate amount of stoniness. Thierry acquired Clos de l'Echelier in 2012, and it is about 1.4ha in total, and the vines around 40 years of age.
And as I have mentioned in some other videos, I have noticed here in the Loire that for some vignerons, the soil, specifically depth of the topsoil and the nature of the topsoil in the vineyards will influence their decisions in the cellar. And if there is anyone that is the embodiment of this philosophy, it is Thierry Germain. Thierry will change his approach to vinification and élevage depending on the soil and bedrock influence in the cellar. In the case of this wine, because we have so little topsoil before we hit the tuffeau, Thierry believes that this makes for a more vertical wine, and thus the élevage for this wine in oval vessels, specifically oval foudres, because of their vertical nature, as opposed to a round vessel that sits horizontally.
So the fruit for this wine is all hand-picked, and destemmed. Fermentation is done with indigenous yeast in wooden vats, and it remains on skins about 15-18 days, with very little by way of extractive techniques, really he just does some very light pump-overs to keep the cap wet. The goal is infusion, rather than extraction. And then the wine is aged in 1200L oval foudres for about 12 months before bottling.
Key wine facts below:
Producer: Domaine des Roches Neuves (Thierry Germain)
Appellation: Saumur-Champigny
Commune: Dampierre-sur-Loire
Lieu-Dit: Clos de l’Échelier
Soil: Craie verte (middle Turonian; glauconitic, micaceous chalk) with 30-50cm of topsoil (sand, silt, clay mix)
Alcohol: 13.0%
