Château de Villeneuve, 2021 Saumur-Champigny
No.12 | What's In My Glass
When learning about wine, benchmarks can be helpful as they provide us with a framework for evaluating other wines within a single appellation or between different regions. Benchmarking doesn't imply conformity. Rather it gives us parameters for what to look for when exploring the expression of a place. While I get giddy when exploring the micro-terroirs of Saumur-Champigny, Chinon, Bourgueil, etc., I am equally thrilled when I come across quintessential examples that I could literally hand someone and say: "Here, try this. For about $25, this gives you an idea of what to expect of a Cabernet Franc from Saumur-Champigny."
The Château de Villeneuve 2021 Saumur-Champigny, the estate's entry-level wine, is such a wine - a benchmark example of Saumur-Champigny. Classically styled, it is the type of wine I would put in a line up with similar quality wines to highlight the differences between the great Cabernet Franc terroirs of the Loire.
Château de Villeneuve is a top producer in the region. Having been in the hands of the Chevallier family since 1967, they have a strong understanding of their vineyards and soils - a helpful trait when looking to identify regional benchmarks. This wine is coming from about 13 hectares of organically-farmed vines from a handful of lieux-dits in the neighbouring communes of Souzay-Champigny and Dampierre-sur-Loire. The vines sit atop predominantly the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk with a shallow blanket of silty-clay topsoil on top. In the cellar, the wine is vinified in stainless steel with a short maceration of a week to 10 days, followed by aging for about 3 months in larger foudres. The objective is to preserve the freshness and youthfulness of the fruit, while highlighting the fine structure that the tuffeau impact lends to the finished wine.
This wine has all the markers of a quintessential expression of Saumur-Champigny. A fine perfume of blue and red fruits, fresh herbs, and a hint of cedar leaves in the background. Not intensely aromatic per se, but there are some gentle purple flower nuances that weave through the blue-fruits and evergreen notes with a hint of spiciness on the finish, reminiscent of white pepper and nutmeg. The juicy, lively acidity yields to tannins that are finely grained and velvety, and finish with a touch of chalkiness. Sophisticated, poised, refined but not stodgy or uptight. The wine is convivial and inviting, with superb balance and a ton of finesse. It is like the Little Black Dress of Cabernet Francs - dress it up, dress it down, perfect for any occasion, never goes out of style.
From the Archives!
Craving more Château de Villeneuve? Check my video on the 2019 Le Grand Clos, the estate’s top wine from a single lieu-dit.
Love, love this wine and producer!! I believe you're spot on with the usefulness of benchmarks when exploring terroirs etc. Would be fascinated to see a list of some recommended benchmark mines for all the Cab Franc AOPs in the Loire (and the rest of the world tbh)
Villeneuve is hard to come by in my neck of the woods. I was able to snag a couple of bottles of 2019 "Le Grand Clos" (on sale no less!) from one of my usual sources. Thanks for the link to your past review. Loved the Pointillism analogy. Like Tom, I'm interested in benchmark Cab Francs from the Loire Valley. Unlike Tom, I don't care about the rest of the world. ;^)) Have a good'un!