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Domaine Guiberteau 2018 Saumur Rouge Les Chapaudaise
£46.00
In stock
SKU
FRLORGUCH18B
- Buy 6 for £43.70 each and save 5%
We welcome the spectacular wines of Romain Guiberteau to our range. Romain joined his family's vine growing business in 1996 following a stint at Clos Rougeard in Saumur Champigny. Romain is now making some of the Loire's greatest Chenin Blancs and Cabernet Francs, from low yielding, old vine parcels in Saumur.
Chaupadaise is a 1.3 hectare vineyard planted in 1948 at a density of 5,500 vines/ha on limestone in the commune of Bizay. Yield is around 45hl/ha. The bunches are destemmed then fermented with indigenous yeasts for 2 weeks in concrete vats before ageing for 10 months in large oak vats.
Despite being a year older than the regular Saumur Rouge the wine is more backward, due to its concentration and powerful tannins. On coaxing the wine shows its minerality and intense cherry notes. This is one for the cellar.
The Region
Loire
The Loire Valley is a wine region in Northern France which rises in central France to its mouth on the Atlantic coast. The upper part of the valley begins with the regions dominated with Sauvignon Blanc such as Pouilly Fume, Sancerre, Quincy and Reuilly with many of these regions growing other varieties too, such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Gamay.
Heading down river and towards the west one enters the regions of Touraine where some of the best reds are to be found: Chinon & Bourgueil which are (in their red versions at least) exclusively Cabernet Franc. Here, Chenin Blanc is also grown reaching its apogee with Vouvray: a wine which comes in all levels of sweetness from taut dryness to unctuously sweet with many points in between.
Further west, entering the subzone of Anjou-Saumur there are also some fabulous sweet wines from Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume alongside reds from both Cabernets, a splattering of Malbec (or Cot as it is know to some), and Gamay too. Here you will also find the powerful, mineral whites of Savennieres: whites which are some of the most ageworthy in the entire region, but almost unknown to the wider wine-drinking world.
Last but not least is the Pays Nantais which is largely dominated by the AOC of Muscadet, where the last of the major varieties of the Loire Valley, Melon de Bourgogne is found. Muscadet suffers from a less-than-illustrious reputation, but there has been a quality revolution in the last few decades and there are some very serious examples to be found.
The Producer
Domaine Guiberteau
Romain Guiberteau has just appeared on our radar, following a tasting of his sensational Saumur Blanc Breze. His wines impressed me so much that I had to track them down and introduce them to Noble Grape customers.
Romain Guiberteau joined his father's vine-growing business in 1996 having previously worked with Nady Foucault at Clos Rougeard, another hero of ours in Saumur-Champigny.
I am now convinced that Romain is making some of the Loire's best Chenin Blancs. There is no alchemy here: a simple formula of having great vineyards, planted with old vines and working in a minimal way with only wild yeasts and other additions kept to an absolute minimum.
The estate has been organic since 2003.
Our allocation is tiny and is spread across 4 wines, 2 of each colour.