Arnaud Lambert, 2019 Saumur-Champigny ‘Montée des Roches’
Cab Franc du Jour #92
Arnaud Lambert is among my all-time favourite vignerons not only in Saumur-Champigny but across the Loire as a whole when it comes to Cabernet Franc. Over the last decade or so, since taking over the domaine following his father’s passing in 2011, Arnaud has genuinely honed his approach through a deepening understanding of his parcels and soils, and a strong commitment to organic viticulture. A visit to the domaine earlier this year made clear just how thoughtfully he has evolved his winemaking in pursuit of his ideal expression of Cabernet Franc.
Montée des Roches is one of three reds Arnaud produces from vines in the commune of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg, alongside Terres Rouges and Clos Moleton.
Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg
Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg is one of three communes in the Saumur-Champigny appellation set back from the Loire River, alongside Varrains and Chacé, and it is in fact the southernmost commune in the appellation, beginning just over 5km southwest of the Loire and stretching about 2km from north to south.
Two distinct viticultural zones make up the commune. To the east, vineyards hug a forested area and tend to carry more westerly exposures. To the west, the commune is bordered by the Thouet River and extends eastward roughly 1.5km, with vineyards facing in any number of directions, north, south, east, and west.
The soils in Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg are somewhat easier to characterise than in many other Saumur-Champigny communes. The majority of vineyards sit between 40 and 60m above sea level over the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk bedrock, known locally as craie verte, the glauconitic-micaceous chalk. A couple of smaller pockets at slightly higher elevations, around 65 to 70m, sit on the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau. While the bedrock is fairly consistent throughout the commune, the depth, texture, and stoniness of the topsoils vary considerably from parcel to parcel, with significant implications for water access, vigour, yield potential, budbreak timing, and rootstock selection.
The Vineyard
Montée des Roches is sourced from a selection of vines averaging about 35 years of age across parcels totalling approximately 1.5 hectares in the western part of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg. The parcels carry an eastern exposure over the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk, with clay as the dominant topsoil influence. The profile runs roughly 20cm of predominantly clay topsoil, followed by about 30cm of silty-sand subsoil, before the chalk bedrock is reached. The parcels are moderately stony, with around 25 to 50% stone content.
Visiting this parcel with Arnaud in May was one of the more memorable moments of the trip. He arrived with a shovel, dug into the soil, and we examined the texture and composition together. What struck me most was how noticeably cooler the clay felt to the touch compared to the previous block we had visited, which had more sand in the topsoil. Knowing from study that clay is a cooler soil due to its moisture-retaining capacity is one thing; holding a chunk of it in your hand and feeling that temperature difference is another experience entirely. That clay character, combined with the proximity of the tuffeau bedrock, has a direct influence on how Arnaud approaches this wine in the cellar.
In the Cellar
The fruit is hand-picked, fully destemmed, and left as 100% whole berries. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast, with one third in concrete egg and the remainder in stainless steel. Maceration runs approximately 10 to 14 days by infusion. The approach to maceration has been one of the most significant evolutions in Arnaud’s winemaking over the last decade: he has shortened his skin contact considerably and reduced extraction to a minimum, with the goal of achieving a more elegant mouthfeel and a more complete mid-palate. For aging, 50% is placed in two to three year old oak barrels and 50% in concrete tanks for approximately eight months, after which the two portions are reassembled and aged together in stainless steel for a further six months before bottling.
Wine Details
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%