Domaine du Collier Saumur-Champigny 2020

The Saumur-Champigny is the wine that closes the circle for Antoine Foucault — a return, in a sense, to where he began. Antoine cut his teeth at the famed Clos Rougeard in Saumur-Champigny, working alongside his father and uncle Charly and Nady Foucault, before striking out at age 26 to establish Domaine du Collier. While the single-vineyard reds of La Ripaille and La Charpentrie draw from the stonier, leaner soils of Brézé, the Saumur-Champigny comes from the appellation's classic Cabernet Franc terroir — a blend of sand and micaceous chalk, with vines averaging around 60 years of age — producing a wine of greater immediacy and generosity than its more austere Saumur siblings. The same uncompromising approach applies throughout: organic farming, hand harvest with rigorous sorting, wild yeast fermentation, and extended ageing without racking in a cold underground cellar, with zero sulphur until bottling. 

The result is the most approachable and openly charming wine in the Domaine du Collier range, without sacrificing an ounce of character. Blackberry and cassis lead with perfumed floral notes and a trademark elegance, with a savory, classical touch that speaks unmistakably to the Foucault lineage. Where La Ripaille and La Charpentrie demand patience, this is a wine that rewards those who open it young — vivid, fluid, and alive with the energy of its appellation — yet with enough structure and depth to evolve gracefully in the cellar for years to come