Domaine des Roches Neuves, 2019 Saumur-Champigny "Terres Chaudes"
Cab Franc du Jour #44
Thierry Germain is the sixth generation in a long lineage of vignerons from Bordeaux. He arrived in the Loire in 1991 and purchased the existing estate Domaine des Roches Neuves. A passionate advocate for biodynamic viticulture, he began the conversion in 1998, and today his vineyards are worked exclusively with horses.
Thierry’s approach to canopy management is equally distinctive and worth understanding. Rather than pulling leaves or trimming the canopy in the conventional sense, he has equipped his trellises with an additional top wire, gathering and rolling the vine shoots around it. Having observed how the leaves of the vine naturally turn and follow the movement of the sun throughout the day, he believes that removing excess foliage hands ripening directly over to the sun, whereas leaving the leaves intact allows them to serve as a vehicle for photosynthesis and participate more actively in the ripening process.
The Vineyard
Today’s wine comes from the commune of Chacé, one of three communes in the Saumur-Champigny appellation set back roughly 5km from the Loire River, receiving less of its moderating influence than the six communes that hug the riverbank. South-facing vineyard slopes are more common in this part of the appellation than elsewhere.
The Terres Chaudes is sourced from a 1-hectare parcel in the lieu-dit Les Poyeux. Many wine professionals will recognize this lieu-dit through the wines of Clos Rougeard, but it is important to note that Les Poyeux is not a simple or homogeneous site. Estimates of its total size hover around 30 hectares, and the terroir varies considerably across the lieu-dit. The site is situated on a hill that slopes gently to the south and southwest.
Thierry’s vines are in the westernmost part of the lieu-dit with a southwest exposure, a warm orientation that receives good sun throughout the day and the stronger light of the afternoon in particular. The topsoil in his parcels runs from about 30 to 80cm in depth, a mix of sand and clay sitting directly over the Turonian tuffeau chalk. The vines are around 35 to 45 years of age.
In the Cellar
The fruit is hand-harvested and fully destemmed, with fermentation using indigenous yeast. Thierry’s choice of aging vessel is guided by the soils of the vineyard in question, with the goal of respecting the energy that the soil imparts to the wine. Here, with a sandy-clay topsoil of some depth over the tuffeau, he opts for larger 6,000L and 1,200L oak foudres. He explained that the clay component of the soil gives a certain power and generosity to the plant, and that a more powerful soil requires a larger, rounder vessel to match its energy.
Wine Details
Producer: Domaine des Roches Neuves (Thierry Germain)
Appellation: Saumur-Champigny
Commune: Chacé
Lieu-Dit: Les Poyeux
Soil: Sandy-clay (30-80cm) over Turonian tuffeau chalk
Alcohol: 13.5%