In France, August 15th is a national holiday, the celebration of the Assumption of Mary, and it has historically been the unofficial beginning of holidays for many vignerons in the Loire. In 2026, however, the uncharacteristically warm and dry summer has resulted in a very early vintage, and August 15th marked the beginning of harvest (primarily Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc) for much of the Central Loire. In anticipation of the early start of harvest, many vigneron took their annual summer vacances a little earlier, only to return and be swiftly thrust into the throes of harvest. For someone like me, that has meant fewer vigneron visits this month, and more time spent en famille with my boyfriend, Alex, and his kids, and a balance of tasting and drinking for pleasure as well as for upcoming features here.
That said, I did get out to Domaine Annivy in Dampierre-sur-Loire in Saumur-Champigny. The domaine was introduced to me by my dear friends Rick Fitzgerald and Marilyn MacGregor, who joined me for the visit a few weeks ago. It was purchased by Philippe Raison and Nordine Rabah in 2020, and they have since made incredible investments in both the chai as well as the newly renovated, absolutely charming troglodyte tasting room. The wines are made by Philippe, and I was delighted by what I tasted. A full profile to come, but their two Cabernet Franc sparklings (a blanc de noir and a rosé) might rank among the best I’ve come across in the region, and their reds are measured and sophisticated.
Over the last two months I’ve been tasting through a slew of samples from the syndicate of producers from St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil for a future report on the region and its wines. The St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOP is unique in the Loire in that it is the only single-village appellation in the region — the only village being, of course, St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Because all of the vineyards are within a single village, one might expect that there is a certain degree of homogeneity to the region’s wines. And while there are some common threads that link much of what I’ve tasted, I’ve been impressed by the breadth and diversity of the wines. The report will feature wines from the following producers: Yannick Amirault, Sylvain Bruneau, Mickaël Delanoue, Domaine de l’Asselière, Domaine Cognard, Domaine de la Cotelleraie, Domaine de la Noiraie, Domaine du Mortier, Antoine et François Jamet, Frédéric Mabileau, Wilfried Mabileau, Hervé Morin, and Vignoble de la Jarnotérie.
Other wines I’ve been in enjoying in recent weeks include a handful of 2021s from across the Loire Valley. I absolutely LOVE this vintage. It got a little bit of a bad rap when the wines were first released, which often happens with Cabernet Francs from cooler Loire vintages, and then, once some of the early-drinking wines from the sunny and warm 2022 vintage were released, it was as if everyone forgot that 2021 even happened. Over the last six months, I’ve found many of the 2021s starting to hit their stride, and when I’m dining out at restaurants in the region, I almost always order a 2021 if the wine list has one, regardless of producer, region or terroir.
Enjoyed at Gargamelle in Saumur, the Domaine du Bel Air 2021 Bourgueil “Les Marsaules” provided a bouquet of herbal undertones coupled with fine-boned structure and juicy acidity that was a dream paired with the best pork chop I have ever had in my life and a medley of seasonal veggies. Also from Bourgueil, the Domaine de la Chevalerie 2021 Bourgueil “Franco de Porc” is a savoury, earth-forward expression from alluvial soils, with a plush palate and easy-going, velvety tannins that made it an ideal crowd-pleaser for our table of four at Copains Comme Cochons in Saumur. From Saumur-Champigny, Arnaud Lambert’s 2021 “Montée des Roches” is the Saumur-Champigny pair to the Saumur “Tue-Loup” which I wrote about last month. The Montée des Roches brings generous foresty fruit, lively acidity and an elegant, delineated structure that offers approachability married with intellectual appeal.
I also had the pleasure of dining with Sébastien and D’Arcy de Saint-Georges, proprietors of Château du Petit Thouars in St-Germain-sur-Vienne, earlier this month. We made time to catch-up, post-vacances and pre-harvest, and we enjoyed a handful of superb Cabernet Francs from the domaine’s cellar. Sébastien opened a rare Cabernet Franc from Switzerland from Benoît Dorsaz, the 2020 Valais AOC “Quintessence” Cabernet Franc. Very Bordeaux-esque in style, it was ripe, beautifully fresh, balanced, with a spicy, earth-forward varietal character — a pleasant surprise for my first Swiss Cabernet Franc. We also enjoyed the domaine’s 2015 Touraine Rouge “Admiral,” which is showing very well at the moment. The cuvée is made from 100% press wine and can be a bit tannic when young, but since the last time I tasted it (about 2 years ago), the tannins have softened and the wine has rounded out and become beautifully harmonious. We ended the evening with the 2009 Chinon “Cuvée Danaé” from Béatrice and Pascal Lambert, which showed beautiful youthful red fruits, fine chalky tannins with a delicate undertones of rose potpourri. It was at a beautiful stage in its evolution, but I have no doubt it could age for another decade or more. 2009 was a really superb vintage for Loire Cabernet Franc.
At a recent meal at Table de MiK’L in Saumur, we enjoyed a very fresh and well-rounded Domaine de Nerleux 2018 Saumur-Champigny “Les Loups Noirs” — the domaine’s top wine. I sometimes shy away from the 2018s from the region because I find many to be too ripe and rich for what the occasion calls for, but I was extremely impressed with this wine’s poise, freshness and balance. To close out the meal, I had a glass of Léo Charruau’s 2024 Saumur-Champigny “Bay Rouge,” which was absolutely scrumptious. Light, juicy and energetic, it was the perfect palate cleanser before dessert, and it served as a reminder to put this domaine atop my “must-visit” list for when harvest concludes.
At home, we recently opened our last bottle of the 2023 “Humelay” Blanc de Cabernet Franc from Fabien Duveau in Chacé, in Saumur-Champigny. This was one of my favourite wines of 2025, and ranks among my top picks of all of the still blanc de noir expressions of the variety I have tasted since launching this project nearly six years ago. It ticks all the boxes for me.
Delicate varietal character — greenish undertones of lime cordial and micro basil with white pepper and nutmeg spice — superbly balanced lively acidity and creamy, mid-palate fruit and texture. Whenever I taste this wine, it makes me want to see more expressions of white Cabernet Franc made and on the market. Paired with steamed mussels with mirepoix and tarragon (and naturally a splash of Humelay in the pan!) and beurre persillé croutons, it really does not get much better for a light Saturday lunch!
Finally, earlier this month we attended a birthday party for one of Alex’s friends. French fêtes are always very long affairs that go well into the wee hours of the morning, and dinner always seems to end up being served at nearly midnight. This fête was no different, except dinner was accompanied by a jeroboam of 2000 Saumur-Champigny “Vieilles Vignes” of unknown provenance, and it was a wonderful reminder of why I love the Loire Valley so, so much. Our host couldn’t remember which vigneron gifted him the bottle many moons ago, but in this moment, it didn’t matter because the wine was perfect. I honestly have no specific notes on this wine, but it was beautifully matured and drinking exceptionally well. When surrounded by friends on a warm summer’s evening, it was everything you would’ve wanted and so much more. This is what wine is all about - generosity, hospitality, pleasure and joy.
Great write up Allison! Beth and I are going to be spending a couple of weeks in Saumur in March ‘27. I can’t wait to go to some of these restaurants! I don’t know that you’ve had ours but Steven Kent does make a Cab Franc Blanc from fruit grown in the Livermore Valley!