Cabernet Franc

When a great winegrower recommends you take a look at a fellow vigneron’s wares, our rule of thumb is to go for it… tout suite. Back in 2012 we ended up visiting a young grower in Saumur who was said to be doing something pretty special at his ancestral estate. The tip off was indeed a good one, and we are delighted to represent Domaine Guilbereau in Australia.

Riding the crest of this new wave, Romain Guiberteau has emerged as one of Saumur’s brightest talents. He is the third generation at this Estate and oversees the now organic viticulture as well as all the winemaking responsibilities.
Much like Stéphane Moreau in Chablis, Guiberteau gave up a promising career outside the realm of wine to return to his family’s vineyards (where he was fortunate to inherit an assortment of top-notch, old-vine holdings including some choice parcels in Saumur’s de facto grand cru, Brézé). To date the Domaine is 9.4 hectares in total with 7 hectares in Brézé!

Guiberteau was mentored by local legend Nady Foucault of Clos Rougeard fame, and has been equally inspired by Thierry Germain of Domaine des Roches Neuves. He is also a very good friend of Benjamin Dagueneau, another producer that has influenced his work. The inspiration provided by these great growers, plus the sheer quality of Guiberteau’s brilliant sites, is reflected in his penetrating, intense whites and reds. The whites are some of the most refined and snowflake-pure renditions of Chenin Blanc that we have tasted while the reds take Cab Franc to a rare level of elegance and texture. In short, a profound line up from one of the most exciting of the Loire’s young turks. Surely, at last, a new age of Saumur is upon us!

While the Rougeard influence is most clearly felt in Romain’s richly-fruited single-site red, Les Motelles and the glowing rigour of the Brézé and Clos des Carmes whites, we also expect allot of buzz to surround the two terrific value, ‘entry-point’ Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc cuvees. The former, which comes from 50-80 year old vines and is naturally fermented and raised in concrete, is a pure and seductive explosion of high-toned florals and crunchy, red berry and earthy aromas and flavours, all moderated by pollen-textured tannins. The Domaine Blanc hails from 2ha of Chenin grown on limestone-rich soils within Brézé itself and offers drinkers as lucid and fresh a white Loire as anyone could hope; pithy grapefruit and blossom aromas and flavours harmonise with more chalky notes and a thrillingly textured yet taut palate.