Saumur blanc Brézé AOC 2022

A dry Chenin Blanc that draws its impact from acidity and limestone rather than opulence. At 12.5% vol. it stays lean and focused; in the glass it needs air before it reveals its breadth.

Brézé is a single limestone ridge near Saumur that rises noticeably above the surrounding land. Beneath a thin layer of topsoil lies tuffeau, the porous, chalky limestone from the Turonian era: it stores water like a sponge and releases it slowly to the vines during dry summers, which explains the freshness in the glass in the sunny, dry 2022 vintage. More than half of the estate's nearly nineteen hectares lie on this hill, with vines between four and eighty years old. In the 19th century Brézé was renowned, before falling into near-total obscurity.

Chenin Blanc, fully destemmed and spontaneously fermented with its own yeasts. Ageing takes place in foudres and used barriques; malolactic fermentation is mostly blocked in the whites so the acidity retains its contour. Romain Guiberteau, who bottled his first vintage under his own name in 1996, converted to organic farming in 2000.

Dry and taut on entry, with vibrant acidity and a texture creamier than the nose suggests: yellow pear, white peach and quince, backed by beeswax and acacia honey. The finish brings citrus peel, green apple and a saline edge that lingers.

Grilled pike-perch or river trout, classically with butter and herbs. Equally Crottin de Chavignol and other Loire goat cheeses, as well as langoustines and scallops.

Robert Guiberteau bought the first parcels on Brézé in 1954; after 1976 the vines were leased out for two decades, until his grandson Romain renegotiated them back, parcel by parcel. Ageing potential of over ten years.