Domaine du Collier Saumur La Charpentrie 2021

Antoine Foucault established Domaine du Collier in 1999 carrying with him the knowledge absorbed at his family's legendary Clos Rougeard, but it is the whites of Saumur that have come to define his own estate's identity. La Charpentrie is sourced from century-old vines on the hillsides of Brézé, where the tuffeau limestone terroir was historically considered so prized it was exchanged barrel-for-barrel with Château d'Yquem. The vineyards are organically farmed with soils carefully worked to drive roots deep into the calcium-rich subsoil, and fruit is hand harvested with exacting sorting. Winemaking is utterly uncompromising — wines are not racked, receive no added yeasts or sulphur, and are aged for multiple years before release.

In the glass, La Charpentrie Blanc is a study in the paradox that great Chenin Blanc uniquely masters: simultaneous power and weightlessness. Vibrant and tightly woven, it carries a rich chalky-mineral backbone alongside notes of orange blossom, stone fruit, and a herbaceous spice of chamomile and sage. The depth of fruit without excess weight is a neat trick — the nose is stuffed with fruit and flowers, yet there is an airiness to the palate and a dusting of minerals that lingers effortlessly.