Guiberteau Saumur Blanc 2023

The Saumur Blanc 2023 is textbook modern Saumur and a flagship for modern Chenin Blanc from anywhere in the world. It’s waxy and salty, with a wet stone undercurrent and a palate that is more open and generous than I expected for a young wine often known for its acid line. - Ches Cook, Five Way Cellars. 

This is 100% Chenin Blanc, grown on the calcareous soils in and around Brézé. More precisely, it comes from younger vines in Clos de Guichaux and Clos des Carmes, as well as some old vines from the Bas de Pentes terroir of Brézé. Then, there is a splash of Les Chapaudaises from Bizay. As any Saumurois will tell you, these terroirs are some of the crown jewels (particularly Clos des Carmes, which sits on the chalky mother rock of the Brézé hill, just below the Château de Brézé). The plantings range from 1935 to 2012, so this wine has plenty of old-vine stuffing. With all this in mind, perhaps the quality shouldn’t come as a surprise. Importer note.