July & August Tasting Diaries: Part 2
No.65 | What's In My Glass
As a continuation of my July & August Tasting Diaries and my visits in Touraine, in this edition we head to the Anjou-Saumur region. Normally my visits here are exclusively at estates in Saumur-Champigny and Saumur, because I don’t often have enough time to make it “all the way out” to the heart of Anjou, and quite frankly, more often than not, Cabernet Franc plays second fiddle to Chenin Blanc in this part of the Loire. But with a bit more time in the region this trip, I was able to visit a handful of estates in Anjou with important Cab Franc stories to tell!
So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
Anjou
Situated in the commune of Blaison-Saint-Sulpice in Eastern Anjou, I had to pleasure spending a few hours with Xavier Cailleau, where we did a deep dive into their Cabernet Franc cuvées parcellaires. One of Xavier’s passions, and one of the reasons he chose the path of the vine, is geology, and their 8 hectares of Cabernet Franc vines are planted across several unique terroir units all within a few kilometer radius of the domaine. Xavier’s tireless work in the vineyard and adapting his approach to vinifcation and élevage to highlight the expression of their soils in the wines has resulted in a finely crafted, elegant range of wines that reflect their terroir and showcase how beautifully Cabernet Franc can be a mirror for place.
Led by 14th generation vigneronne Béatrice Taillée, this domaine may not be one that is familiar to many of you, but they have a loyal client base in the Loire, and each vintage they produce a tiny quantity of wines from their best parcels exclusively for these clients. Walking the vineyards with Béatrice and her new maître de chai Armita, I got the sense that it was as if Béatrice intimately knew each individual vine. This deep understanding of her parcels comes through in the wines, which are classically styled with a focus on elegance and finesse. Armita and I tasted through a selection of current and older vintages of the estate’s Anjou Rouge, which is a companionable, honest expression of Cabernet Franc that would win over anyone wine lover’s heart. Another highlight is the estate’s Crémant de Loire Rosé, which is a beautifully refined expression of traditional method sparkling Cabernet Franc.
I was introduced to the wines of Domaine Sauveroy when I presented their 2023 Anjou Villages “Victoire” as part of a masterclass I led for the Wines of the Loire Valley in May. What I loved about this wine in particular was that it felt like a quintessential expression of Anjou Rouge with sumptuous fruit, soft but persistent acidity, and a sultry energy about it that I find oh-so inviting. When I visited with Quentin Cailleau at the domaine, I learned the family’s passion for Cabernet Franc began with his grandfather, who planted their first Cabernet Franc vines in 1947 and began making Anjou Rouge in the 1950s. Today, the estate produces a thoughtful range of reds that harnesses the power of their schist soils while being beautifully approachable and deliciously drinkable.
Situated in the commune of Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné, Thomas and Charlotte Carsin are organically farming about 4.5 hectares of Cabernet Franc from which they make their L’Aiglerie, which is from parcels on quartz and vinified 100% whole cluster, and their Magellan, from parcels on schist and vinified more classically by destemming the fruit. When I visited the domaine, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do a vertical tasting with Charlotte of their cuvée L’Aiglerie - vintages 2020 to 2012. With exquisite floral and savoury undertones, this cuvée shows focus, an intricate linear structure, and distinctive notes of mint and liquorice with age. Their forthcoming release of their Magellan 2021 will need some time in the cellar, but it shows promise with superb concentration, verve, and rich textures but is also impressively light on its feet.
Saumur-Champigny/Saumur
The Vatan family have been deeply entrenched in vigneron life since the 1700s, and they became proprietors of Château du Hureau in the 1940s. This is a domaine I have fallen in love with in recent years having enjoyed the wines on a few occasions at home and abroad. Philippe Vatan’s range of Cabernet Francs are the perfect balance between the old school Saumur-Champignys that I love and just the right amount of polish and sophistication. Precisely and carefully made, his 2022s are elegant expressions from the vintage, all with beautifully lifted aromatics, balanced freshness, and fine, silky, well-managed tannins. Of particular note was the 2022 Fours à Choux, which Philippe doesn’t bottle as a single cuvée each vintage, but 2022 delivered something magical with an exquisite expression from this sandy parcel Dampierre. One to buy by the case!
One of Saumur-Champigny’s most important historical vineyards, Clos Cristal is named after its creator and original owner Antoine Cristal, who - almost single-handedly - helped to re-established vineyards across the region after phylloxera as he was one of the first to learn to graft vitis vinifera vines onto American rootstocks. Antoine’s innovative vineyard, which he built and planted in 1890, features 3km of tuffeau walls, including parcels where the vines are trained through the walls, allowing the vines to benefit from the heat accumulated during the day to accelerate vine growth and ripening. Today, Caves Robert & Marcel are the custodians of this vineyard, and seek to preserve Antoine’s legacy by vinifying a structured, cellar-worthy single-vineyard cuvée reflective of this unique terroir.
Based in Varrains, the Legrand family have been vignerons in Saumur-Champigny since the 17th century. Clotilde Legrand has been managing the family domaine since 2014 and is the first woman to do so. While some domaines across the region seek to experiment with new techniques and approaches, Clotilde is a traditionalist in the best possible way. She focuses on stainless steel vinifications, long, gentle maceration and long aging in oak. What’s more is she also believes in bottle aging the wines and releasing vintages as she deems they are ready - a commitment rarely seen in the world of wine today. Proof that good things come to those who wait, her range of wines are beautifully crafted, contemplative and a joy to drink.
Amélie Neau is the ninth generation in her family to continue the tradition of farming vines in the commune of St-Cyr-en-Bourg and the first woman to lead Domaine de Nerleux. With a focus on organic viticulture and a classic approach in the cellar, her range of reds are finely crafted, energetic, and infinitely approachable with focus on purity of fruit and elegant structure. They also represent some of the finest values in the appellation. I recently did a video feature on their Clos des Châtains 2021, which was one of my favourite cuvées that tasted on my recent visit.
With no prior knowledge of the domaine or its wines, I tasted the 2020 La Salle Martin at La Paulée in June and was rendered speechless. Situated in the commune of Montsoreau along the western border of Candes-St-Martin, proprietor Julien Contant purchased the existing domaine Manoir de Chaumont with the desire to make cellar-worthy expressions of Cabernet Franc that can stand the test of time. Working with Jérôme Baillargeau to manage the vineyards and cellar, the wines undergo gentle extended macerations and very long aging in oak barrels followed by extended bottle aging before release (upwards of 5 years total élevage). The wines are complex, thought-provoking, and compelling expressions of Cabernet Franc that leave a lasting impression.
Driving up to Domaine de Rocheville, you would think you were arriving at a winery in Sonoma or Santa Barbara County, and not a wine estate in the sleepy commune of Parnay in Saumur-Champigny. The domaine is the dream of Philippe Porché, who built the domaine from humble origins to an idyllic cave touristique perched up on the tuffeau plateau with beautiful views of the Loire. His 13 hectares of organically farmed Cabernet Franc (plus 4ha of Chenin) provide inspiration for his well-crafted reds that range from bright, fruit-forward quaffers to complex, contemplative cellar-worthy parcellaires. There is something here for everyone!
While this domaine is relatively new on the scene, the Mesnard family of Montreuil-Bellay, Claude and his son Julien, are one of the most respected grape growers in Saumur suppling certified organic grapes to handful of producers across the region. Julien, who has worked at the likes of Château Latour and Clos Rougeard, began to vinify some of the family’s Chenin and Cabernet Franc starting with the 2022 vintage, and every time I get a chance to re-taste his wines, I couldn’t be more excited for the future of this domaine. Their 2022 Saumur Rouge is coming into a superb drinking window now, and the 2023 is refined, expressive and deliciously approachable in its youth.
Paul Filliatreau was instrumental in putting Saumur-Champigny on the map with key innovations to create a fresh, quaffable expression of Cabernet Franc that became a hit in bistros across Paris in the 1970s and 80s. Their Vieilles Vignes cuvée is a personal favourite and one you can often find back vintages of on the market. The domaine reserves around 1200 bottles of this cuvée each vintage to age in their tuffeau cellars for re-release at a later date. At the time of my visit, they were preparing a selection of orders for clients featuring the vintages 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011. If you find these wines in the wild, don’t hesitate to snap them up. They are great values for those that love perfectly mature Loire Cabernet Franc.
One of the Saumur region’s young vignerons on the rise, Etienne Bodet burst onto the scene with his Clos Durandière from the 2020 vintage and quickly cemented himself in the upper echelon of producers. Etienne is extremely meticulous with his wines, both in the vineyard and cellar, with a focus on low yields and long élevage (two years in barrel and 2 years in bottle) for his Clos Durandière. His 2021 is simply stunning - seamless and elegantly framed with remarkable purity, precision and depth. The forthcoming 2022 release shows superb concentration and power as we would expect from the vintage, but with beautiful restraint and finesse marrying sublime, velvety tannins and ethereal, layered aromatics.
When speaking with vignerons from across Saumur-Champigny about who some of the up-and-coming “stars” are in the region, one name that comes up time and time again is Fabien Duveau. The 8th generation in his family to manage the domaine, Fabien focuses on cuvées parcellaires from his Cabernet Franc parcels around Chacé and Varrains. I am particularly fond of his Humelay Blanc de Noir of Cabernet Franc, which is vinified 1/3 each in ceramic jars, concrete and barriques, and it is possibly my favourite white Cabernet Franc I’ve tasted to date. So balanced, so pure, so delicious! And his 2023 Bas Poyeux is also a knockout showing beautiful depth, succulent-savoury fruit, velvety tannins and balancing acid spine. His Cabernet Francs are defined by their depth of character, purity of fruit and elegant structure.
With only 4.5 hectares dotted across three communes in Saumur-Champigny, Richard Desouche established his domaine with his first 0.4 hectares of Cabernet Franc in 2006 while working as vineyard manager at Clos Rougeard - a post he still holds today. His meticulous approach to viticulture for the legendary Clos Rougeard extends to his work at his own domaine, and his intimate understanding of his parcels and soils is reflected in the wines. Using a traditional approach in the cellar focusing on longer macerations and aging in oak, Richard, and now with the help of his son Jean, is crafting exceptional Cabernet Francs that will delight enthusiasts and professionals alike. These are honest, contemplative wines that communicate a sense of place in the glass.
Driven by a passion for wine and the terroir and collaborative vigneron(ne) community of the Saumur region, Alicante, Spain natives Ana Gimeno and Candela Rodriguez of Must.Be.Wine put down roots in the commune of Parnay after spending years travelling and making wine in a variety of regions around world. They are sourcing fruit from the aforementioned Mesnard family to produce their Chenin Blanc, and two styles of Cabernet Franc, “Go Your Own Way” a whole cluster-carbonic maceration expression and “I Want to Be/Brett Free,” which is more classically styled. The former is a fun, no-nonsense, juicy expression of Cabernet Franc, while the latter delivers sumptuous fruit, plush, enveloping tannins, and plenty of substance for longer term cellaring.
Thank you so much for reading and for all your continued support. I apologize for the delay in getting these posts published. I’ve been adjusting to some changes in my personal life, and I am now getting back into the groove, slowly but surely. I have lots in the works for September and the rest of the year (there are only four months remaining of 2025!), so I look forward to continuing to share more stories and insights from the big, beautiful world of Cabernet Franc with all of you.
As always, thank you for being here, for reading, for subscribing, and for all of your enthusiasm and support.
It's hard to believe it's been 4 years since visiting Thomas and Charlotte Carsin and truly enjoying not only them and their family, but also the quality of their wines and their devotion to their Domaine. Good, good people.
Such a fabulous report. I must get out there! So many new and interesting domaines to try!!!