Arnaud Lambert, 2021 Clos Mazurique & Terres Rouges
Cab Franc du Jour #125
In honour of Cabernet Franc Day, I wanted to do a nerdy, side-by-side, deep dive into two wines from Arnaud Lambert - a vigneron who is extremely important in my personal journey with Cabernet Franc. This video was recorded live on Instagram, but the YouTube upload has time stamps for easy navigation.
Arnaud’s namesake domaine is one of the leading estates in Saumur-Champigny. It is the amalgamation of two properties: the Lambert family domaine with parcels in Saumur-Champigny and also the vineyard holdings of Château de Brézé, all of which are in the commune of Brézé in the Saumur AOP.
Clos Mazurique and Terres Rouges are the two “entry-level” wines from Arnaud Lambert’s domaine from each respective appellation where they have vignerons. The wines are essentially made the same way, but from two different terroirs that are less than five kilometers away from each other.
Clos Mazurique
This vineyard is in southern Brézé on a full south-facing slope. The vines are around 40 years-of-age. Here the soils are known as: 50cm clay-silt-sand mix (argile limoneuse) with 50% stoniness (alluvions), over Middle Turonian white tuffeau chalk (craie grise). The wine is made using concrete and stainless steel.
Terres Rouges
This wine comes from parcels in the eastern part of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg. It has a west-facing exposure, the vines are around 45 years-of-age on average. This site (and Saint-Cyr as a whole) is warmer than the other. The soils are 60cm silt-sand-clay mix (limon sablo-argileux), 30cm sand-silt subsoil, over the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk (craie verte). The wine is made using concrete and stainless steel.
Wine Details
Arnaud Lambert, 2021 Saumur Rouge “Clos Mazurique”
Appellation: Saumur Rouge
Commune: Brézé
Soil: 50cm clay-silt-sand mix (argile limoneuse) with 50% stoniness (alluvions), over Middle Turonian white tuffeau chalk (craie grise)
Alcohol: 13%
Arnaud Lambert, 2021 Saumur-Champigny “Terres Rouges”
Appellation: Saumur-Champigny
Commune: Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg
Soil: 60cm silt-sand-clay mix (limon sablo-argileux), 30cm sand-silt subsoil, over the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk (craie verte)
Alcohol: 13%