Saumur Champigny Domaine des Roches Neuves Thierry Germain 2021

Saumur Champigny Domaine des Roches Neuves Thierry Germain, biodynamic wine, fresh Cabernet Franc, ideal for chilling with fresh chops cooked over coals! The basic Cuvée Domaine is garnet with purple tints, exhibits lively aromas of irises, violets and red fruits, a balanced and ripe palate, harmonious and full and a smoky finish with subtle tannins. A cool and delicious natural red, the type of wine you drink bucket loads and it doesn’t touch the sides (we of course don’t advocate such behaviour but the wine is very good!).

Serious wines are produced at this estate run by the charismatic Thierry Germain.

His approach is closer to a Burgundy wine-maker than a typical Loire producer. This 50-acre domaine, situated in a superb viticultural location in the appellation of Saumur-Champigny, has been a winery since 1850. Germain, from a long line of Bordeaux winemakers, arrived here in 1991, attracted by the region’s perfect balance of grape varietal, climate and 'terroir', which he considers one of the finest in France. The vineyard is worked in a natural way with the goal of keeping the vine and the soil at its healthiest and Thierry has become a fully-fledged advocate of biodynamics. The harvest is manual, selecting grapes at their very ripest level. Vinification is handled in small batches with bottling un-fined and unfiltered. All of his wines are superb, but not easy to obtain because the demand for them is so great.