Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Bizay Les Chapaudaises 2020

Romain Guiberteau dropped out of law school in 1996 to take over his family's dormant estate — mentored by Nady Foucault of Clos Rougeard — and has since become one of the Loire's most compelling voices in both Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Les Chapaudaises is his red wine from Bizay, a 2.0 hectare parcel in the village of Épieds, just half a kilometre from Saumur's prized hill of Brézé, planted in 1948 on silty-sand soil over a soft limestone bedrock — the same sandy tuffeau-limestone that defines the exceptional character of the wider Guiberteau estate. The fruit is sorted in the vineyard, 100% destemmed, fermented with ambient yeasts, and aged for ten months in wooden tanks. 

Les Chapaudaises is an incredibly fine and perfumed expression of Saumur — one writer dared call it Burgundian. A lifted, intriguing and seductive perfume of wild rose, red berries and pine forest leads to a wonderfully delicate palate — bright and juicy yet almost ethereal — with very fine tannins and only a hint of smoke on the finish. Vibrant aromas of redcurrant and cranberry accented by a subtle touch of graphite flow into a silky, medium-bodied palate marked by clarity and finesse. From 70-year-old vines, it opens with a discreet and tart yet concentrated cherry aroma intertwined with stony notes — full-bodied, intense and fleshy, yet elegant, with ripe and round tannins and a long, intense finish.