Domaine des Sables Verts, 2020 Saumur-Champigny ‘Les Poyeux’
Cab Franc du Jour #159
Domaine des Sables Verts is a historic domaine in Varrains that was in the hands of the Duveau family for ten generations. With retirement approaching, brothers Alain and Dominique Duveau made the decision to sell, and the buyers were Caroline Meurée and her husband Hervé Malinge, a young couple who had met during their wine studies in Bordeaux. Wanting to put down roots closer to where they each grew up, Hervé from the Vendée and Caroline from Picardy, the couple seized the opportunity and in 2019 embarked on an ambitious new chapter as proprietors of Domaine des Sables Verts. The domaine spans 16 hectares across 33 parcels dotted through five communes, with 15.5 hectares planted to Cabernet Franc, and the couple began converting to organic viticulture from their very first day. They currently produce four Cabernet Francs: a domaine cuvée and three cuvées parcellaires, Les Clos Forènes, Chaîntres, and Les Poyeux.
Les Poyeux
Les Poyeux is quite possibly the most celebrated Cabernet Franc vineyard in the Loire Valley, and by some measures in the entire world, a reputation built in large part on the work of a small domaine many will have heard of: Clos Rougeard. The lieu-dit is located in the commune of Chacé, in the eastern part of the commune, east of the villages of Chacé and Varrains, with its eastern border following the western boundary of the commune of Dampierre-sur-Loire.
The first thing to understand about Les Poyeux is its scale. This is a 44-hectare vineyard, accounting for just over a quarter of the entire vineyard area in Chacé. As one would expect from a site of this size, it is far from homogeneous in terms of terroir.
Based on conversations with vignerons, research, and visits to the lieu-dit, the vineyard can be divided into three broad sections. At the northern end sits what is often referred to as the Hauts Poyeux, covering approximately 10 hectares with parcels ranging from 42 to 64m above sea level on a slope oriented ever so slightly to the northwest. The central section, the heart of Les Poyeux, sits roughly mid-slope north of the D205 road, spanning about 20 hectares. Depending on where parcels are located within this section, exposures range from full west-facing to southwest or south-facing, with elevations of around 44 to 62m above sea level. Finally, the area south of the D205 is known as Bas Poyeux, or Lower Poyeux. Parcels here generally have a full south-facing exposure and hover at elevations of around 40 to 54m above sea level.
Three major soil groups are found across the lieu-dit. In the easternmost parcels, a narrow band of Senonian-age soils appears, deeper in profile with a mix of sands and silty-sands of varying subsoil textures. Moving west, a broad zone of Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau chalk takes over, concentrated in the central and upper portions of the vineyard, with topsoils of generally less than a metre in depth and a mixed sand, silt, and clay texture. In the westernmost parcels and throughout Bas Poyeux, the bedrock transitions to the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk, the glauconitic-micaceous craie verte, again with a shallow mixed topsoil of sand, silt, and clay.
This heterogeneity matters because, as with any site of this scale, there is considerable variability from parcel to parcel, and inevitably some parcels are better suited than others in terms of water retention, vigour, and exposure. These differences influence the pace and degree of sugar and phenolic maturity, shape the work done in the vineyard, and ultimately leave their mark on the finished wine.
Bas Poyeux
The Sables Verts Les Poyeux cuvée is drawn from over 1.8 hectares of vines, all situated in Bas Poyeux south of the D205. The parcels are clustered in the northwestern corner of Bas Poyeux, toward the top of the slope, at an average elevation of around 46m above sea level with a gentle southwest-facing exposure. This particular corner is notably more homogeneous than much of the larger lieu-dit, with a relatively shallow topsoil of about 50cm of sandy-clay silt, known locally as limon sablo-argileux, over the Middle Turonian craie verte. The vines are exceptional in age, with most planted between 1952 and 1961, giving an average of 60 to nearly 70 years. Hervé and Caroline note that this age brings real benefits in the vineyard: the old vines are considerably less susceptible to hydric stress and tend to be more consistent in budbreak, flowering, and overall development through the season.
In the Cellar
The fruit is hand-harvested, hand-sorted, and fully destemmed, with the berries transported to stainless steel tanks by gravity. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast, reaching a peak temperature of around 25C. Total skin contact is approximately 22 days, with some pump-overs at the very beginning of fermentation and only a light wetting of the cap from that point forward. The finished wine is a blend of free-run and press wine. For the 2020 vintage, aging took place in a combination of stainless steel and 10hl sandstone amphorae for approximately 12 months.
Hervé and Caroline note that their approach to the élevage of Les Poyeux has evolved considerably since their first vintage in 2019. Stainless steel has been gradually phased out, with amphora and older Bordeaux barriques taking a greater role. The amphora provides gentle micro-oxygenation while preserving the wine’s freshness and minerality, and contributes to a smoother, more velvety mid-palate. The élevage has also been extended to 18 months in total, followed by six months in bottle before release.
In the Glass
Pure, fresh, and concentrated on the nose, with a sunny ripeness that is characteristic of the vintage. The fruit profile leans darker (bright black raspberry, blackcurrant, dried wild blueberry, a hint of cherry), while expressive evergreen and foresty herbals of cedar leaf and wood, rosemary, with a touch of foresty depth provide a nice counterpoint to the riper fruits. Delicate dried violet and lilac add a subtle floral dimension. A warming spice note, entirely Cabernet Franc varietal spice mélange and terroir, rounds out a nose of real complexity and inviting depth.
The palate shows a bit more earthy with appealing tertiary development, such as notes of dried autumn leaves, tobacco, morel mushroom, and a graphite pencil shaving note that signals genuine bottle age. Allspice, cardamom, and nutmeg layer in nicely. The acidity is vibrant and the tannins are finely woven and velvety, finishing with characteristic chalky firmness, and the acidity and tannin are working in tandem to create a well-defined structure. The wine’s initial attack is plush, round, and fruit-forward, then the mid-palate cinches in dramatically as the acidity pulls everything into focus and gives length to the palate with a conclusion that is long and elegant, with linear, taut, laser-like precision. Concentrated, complex, and superbly built the wine is generous and powerful, yet remains focused and weightless through the finish. A contemplative wine with impressive depth that will reward with further cellaring.
Wine Details
Producer: Domaine des Sables Verts (Caroline Meurée et Hervé Malinge)
Appellation: Saumur-Champigny
Commune: Chacé
Lieu-Dit: Les Poyeux
Soil: 50cm of silty-sandy-clay, over the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk (craie verte)
Alcohol: 14.5%