La Source du Ruault, 2020 Saumur-Champigny

No.43 | What's In My Glass

The Saumur-Champigny appellation is not lacking in star domaines. But it is often the producers that fly under the radar that I find immense joy in discovering, particularly as the wines from the region’s elite estates become increasingly more expensive. One such under-the-radar domaine that I’ve had the pleasure of tasting with on a few occasions now is La Source du Ruault, which is led by seventh generation vigneron Jean-Noël Millon.

Based in Varrains, Jean-Noël is farming about 11 hectares of Cabernet Franc and 2 hectares from Chenin Blanc. After taking over from his father in 1998, Jean-Noël immediately converted their vineyards to organic viticulture, and today also employs the use of biodynamic practices in the vineyard and cellar. He is making a charming range of wines from his parcels, including his cuvée domaine, as well as three cuvée parcellaires from Cabernet Franc: Le Champ Fou, Senseï (from parcels in the lieu-dit Les Poyeux) and La Clos de la Côte. I visited the domaine for the first time in October at the tail end of harvest, and upon returning home I tucked into a bottle of their cuvée domaine from the exceptional 2020 vintage having tasted both the 2021 and 2022 during my recent visit.

The estate’s cuvée domaine is sourced from approximately four hectares of 30 to 45 year old vines from parcels across Dampierre-sur-Loire and Varrains. Approximately two-thirds of the parcels have a shallower clay topsoil followed by the tuffeau chalk bedrock giving power and structure to the finished wine, while one third of the fruit is sourced from vines planted on deeper, sandy soils, which the domaine says provides more fruitiness, particularly in the wine’s youth. The fermentation is entirely in concrete with indigenous yeast, with approximately 15 days on skins. Aging is also in concrete in the domaine’s underground tuffeau cellars for about 18 months, followed by one year of aging in bottle prior to release.

Based on my tastings of the 2021 and 2022 Saumur-Champigny last month, I would say that the 2020 is entering a really nice drinking window at the moment. It is ripe, pure and fruit-forward on the nose, exhibiting notes in keeping with the vintage and similar to the 2022, with a mix of black cherry, black raspberry and blueberry compote, with a touch of morello cherry providing a nice bright counterpoint. This dense, fruitier nose is balanced by a clean line of herbal (mint and sage) and forest-y (spruce tips, fir) undertones, that gives this delicate, menthol-esque lift to the aromatic profile creating a sensation of verticality, lift and plenty of layers. On the palate, the wine is plush, open and gourmand, with similar fruit and herbal characters as the nose with an added touch of spice (cardamon, nutmeg) and potpourri-like florality to the finish. The acidity is persistent and the tannins velvety with a pleasant taut, chalky finish, both serving to balance the wine’s fleshiness and creating a corseted-like effect through the middle palate before the wine broadens again towards the finish. Well-built, humble and understated, the wine offers up plenty of depth and complexity if you are in a contemplative mood, while also being extremely friendly and approachable.

Having now tasted the estate’s range on a few occasions in the Loire as well as at home, I find the wines from La Source du Ruault to have a wonderfully sense of simplicity about them in the best possible way. These are not ornate, intricate wines that demand your undivided attention in order to fully appreciated them, rather these wines are about nuance and subtlety. Unassuming from the onset, you might miss something if you’re not paying attention, but this won’t detract from your enjoyment of what’s in the glass. But for those that want to look deeper, these wines have plenty of substance and intrigue that will delight any taster, regardless of where they are at on their wine journey. To drink in their youth or to hold, these are pure, honest expressions of Cabernet Franc from Saumur-Champigny with plenty of charm to boot.