Grapes: Chenin Blanc
Region: Saumur, France
Vintage: 2022
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Single parcel located below the Clos des Carmes, in Brézé. Sandy clay soil, limestone bedrock.
Vinification: Hand harvested, sorted in the vineyards. Pressed with whole clusters. Ambient yeast fermentation in vat and used barrels.
Aging: 11-12 months in used barrels
Fining or Filtering: No fining, lightly filtered
Sulfur: Minimal at bottling
Notes from the Importer: Founded at the beginning of the XXth century by Clément Manguin, Romain’s great grandfather, the domaine was then passed on to Clément’s son in law, Robert Guiberteau, a talented winemaker and one of the founding members of the cave cooperative of Saumur. In 1954, recognizing the great potential of this terroir, Robert purchased several hectares on the hill of Brézé, in particular the Clos des Carmes, considered by legendary gourmet Curnonsky as one of the grand crus of the Loire Valley. When Robert retired in 1976 none of his children wanted to take over and the domaine was farmed out.
In 1996, at the end of a lease cycle, Romain Guiberteau, who was flailing as a law student, decided to take over the management of his family’s vineyards rather than see the leases renewed. The following year, under the mentoring of Clos Rougeard’s Nady Foucault, Romain made 5000 bottles of red wine that he managed to sell easily. The success convinced him to pursue a qualitative approach to winemaking and to gradually take back his grapes from the cooperative.
