2020 Saumur Rouge 'La Ripaille'
The Domaine du Collier was created in 1999 by Antoine Foucault (the son of Charly Foucault from Clos Rougeard) and Caroline Boireau. Situated in the village of Brézé, Antoine and Caroline cultivate seven hectares of 30- to 100-year-old vines, five of them dedicated to Chenin Blanc for the two white wines and the rest Cabernet Franc for the two reds. The vineyards are farmed biodynamic, so no chemicals, fertilizers or weedkillers are applied. The soils are worked to force the vines to go deepe...Read More...
The Domaine du Collier was created in 1999 by Antoine Foucault (the son of Charly Foucault from Clos Rougeard) and Caroline Boireau. Situated in the village of Brézé, Antoine and Caroline cultivate seven hectares of 30- to 100-year-old vines, five of them dedicated to Chenin Blanc for the two white wines and the rest Cabernet Franc for the two reds. The vineyards are farmed biodynamic, so no chemicals, fertilizers or weedkillers are applied. The soils are worked to force the vines to go deeper and deeper into the rocks of tuffeau. Grapes are harvested manually and all musts are fermented and aged for two or three years in barrels, in the fantastic tuff vault cellar at the domaine. Domaine du Collier produces impressively clear, precise and racy Chenins full of tension, elegance and mineral structure.
Antoine Foucaults’ 2020 Saumur Rouge La Ripaille follows the magical form of this wine and like the 2019 it glows in the glass and displays deep set aromas of concentrated blackberry, cassis and attractive leafy notes. Exquisite, and as with all his wines, Antoine has captured a wonderful dimension in this wine that comes across like a hypothetical blend of Volnay (silky, silky) and Saint-Émilion (depth, substance). Sumptuousness aligned to elegance follows, displaying a rich mineral depth and a superb sense of fruit and tannin sweetness that only the best wines do. As attractive as it is to drink now it will probably reach it's peak in 10-20 years, maybe longer... - Andrew Guard, Importer.