Saumur Champigny Rouge "La Paterne" Domaine Antoine Sanzay 2020/21/22

Domaine Antoine Sanzay, Saumur Champigny

“The Foucaults are the singular superstars.”

Antoine’s ‘entry level’ Cabernet Franc is from his sites in Varrains, Dampierre and St-Cyr-en-Bourg from vines also planted in the 1970s. The soils are limestone, clay and sand with notable levels of iron. Grapes are hand harvested, sorted in the winery, destemmed and “infused” over a 3 week maceration in cement tank and then aged for a further 9 months (60% in cement, 40% in large wooden vat) without sulphur. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with a tiny dose of sulphur. The nose is exuberant with tons of blackcurrant, blueberry and blackberry with a touch of mint. Fleshy and juicy on the palate with flavours of those same black fruits along with menthol and kampot peppercorns. Remains widely fresh throughout while taking on concentration and showing off some chewy tannin through the finish. Vibrant, contracted and structured.

Antoine is the 6th generation of winegrower in his family but the first to bottle his own wines. Up until he took over the farming in 1999, upon completion of his wine studies, the crop from the domaine was sold to local co-ops. With the encouragement of local mentors, including Romain Guiberteau and Nady Foucault (Clos Rougeard), Antoine slowly began keeping fruit back for his own production from 2002 and in 2014 he retained the entire production to satisfy the growing demand for his wines. Indeed Antoine worked at Clos Rougeard during his early years of wine training.

Medium weighted there is lovely savoury sanguine minerality with earth, leather and dried red fruits dominating the silky suave palate. A mineral undercurrent remains ensuring freshness and the grainy Cab Franc tannins come and go. Cabernet Franc in shape but Burgundian in emotion

Grape: 100% Cabernet Franc

Organic