2020 Saumur Blanc
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.
The 2020 vintage has added power and sapid depth to the usual brightness and levity. That it is a wine from grapes grown in stone and then aged in a stone cellar is evident - this is totally crystalline, seemingly hewn purely from the stones that lie in the ground from which it comes - floating on top as usual is the entrancing citrus and floral perfume. In 2020 there is again great freshness and clarity - it has real presence and drive the finish is chiselled in the mouth displaying cut and salinity alongside powerful tension - it finishes with the sort of gravitas to make you ponder. Mouthwatering acidity, a fine substance, a vivacious finish - there is greatness here. - Andrew Guard, Importer.