Domaine du Collier Saumur Blanc, Loire Valley, France 2021
Pickup available at DECANT Napa - 2999 Solano, Napa, CA
Usually ready in 1 hour
Antoine Foucault and Caroline Boireau established Domaine du Collier in 1999, named after the Place du Collier where their family home is located in the commune of Brézé. Antoine is the son of the legendary Charly Foucault from Clos Rougeard, where he worked alongside his father and uncle from 1995 to 1999 before striking out on his own at age 26. While Clos Rougeard built its reputation on age-worthy Cabernet Franc, Domaine du Collier has forged its identity around producing grand white wines from the limestone-rich hillsides of Brézé. The estate encompasses just under seven hectares of vines, with two-thirds planted to Chenin Blanc and the remaining third to Cabernet Franc, producing a mere 1,200 cases annually. Domaine du Collier has rapidly ascended from rising star status to join the ranks of Saumur's elite producers, with wines that express the profound minerality of Brézé's tuffeau limestone terroir.
- WINEMAKER: Antoine Foucault and Caroline Boireau
- FARMING: Certified Organic with biodynamic principles employed, no chemical fertilizers or weed killers, soils are worked to encourage vine roots to penetrate deep into the tuffeau bedrock, manual harvest with strict sorting carried out in the vineyards
- VARIETY: 100% Chenin Blanc from old vines averaging 30 to 60 years of age
- TERROIR: The vineyards are located on the hillsides of Brézé in the Saumur appellation of the Loire Valley. Brézé is a unique terroir historically renowned for white wines, with wines once known as "Chenin de Brézé" and regularly exchanged with Château d'Yquem during the 17th century. The geology consists of clay topsoil over tuffeau limestone subsoil—a porous, chalky limestone also used in the construction of the Loire's Renaissance architecture. The cold temperatures of Brézé combine with highly active calcium content in the soil to create wines with unusually low finishing pH levels (ranging from 2.85 to 3.05) and extraordinarily powerful acidic structures similar to those found in Champagne. The stony, poor soils with their limestone-rich composition are particularly well-suited to Chenin Blanc. The continental climate benefits from light precipitation due to the rain shadow effect of the Massif Armorican to the west, resulting in mild winters and dry summers.
- VINIFICATION: Grapes are hand-harvested with intense sorting in the vineyard, whole-cluster pressed using only free-run juice, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in barrel, minimal intervention winemaking philosophy with no commercial yeasts used, no sulfur added during vinification
- AGING: Extended aging of 24 to 36 months without racking in a very cold underground cellar that is part of the historic Clos Rougeard cellar system, aged in a combination of seasoned oak barrels and Stockinger foudres, the exceptionally cold cellar temperatures protect the wine during élevage and contribute to the wine's preservation and development, only a modest dose of sulfur added before bottling
- TASTING NOTES: Crystalline and mineral-driven with remarkable purity and focus, the wine displays bright citrus aromatics including lemon-lime and citrus pith alongside white peach and stone fruit, delicate floral notes of white flowers intermingle with subtle herbal tones, the palate is compact and direct with a tensile line of vibrant acidity that provides both freshness and structure, chalky and flinty minerality dominates the mid-palate reflecting the tuffeau limestone terroir, the 2021 vintage showcases the classic Loire style with elegant balance rather than power, medium-bodied with remarkable finesse and ethereal lift, the finish is long and persistent with pronounced salinity and mineral character, despite being considered the entry-level white from Domaine du Collier this wine demonstrates exceptional quality and complexity with significant aging potential
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Lobster rolls and shellfish, rich fish such as salmon and tuna, roast chicken and poultry, fresh seafood with white sauces, fried foods, creamy dishes and braised preparations, mild and soft cheeses, stinky aged cheeses, vegetarian dishes
Antoine Foucault and Caroline Boireau established Domaine du Collier in 1999, named after the Place du Collier where their family home is located in the commune of Brézé. Antoine is the son of the legendary Charly Foucault from Clos Rougeard, where he worked alongside his father and uncle from 1995 to 1999 before striking out on his own at age 26. While Clos Rougeard built its reputation on age-worthy Cabernet Franc, Domaine du Collier has forged its identity around producing grand white wines from the limestone-rich hillsides of Brézé. The estate encompasses just under seven hectares of vines, with two-thirds planted to Chenin Blanc and the remaining third to Cabernet Franc, producing a mere 1,200 cases annually. Domaine du Collier has rapidly ascended from rising star status to join the ranks of Saumur's elite producers, with wines that express the profound minerality of Brézé's tuffeau limestone terroir.
- WINEMAKER: Antoine Foucault and Caroline Boireau
- FARMING: Certified Organic with biodynamic principles employed, no chemical fertilizers or weed killers, soils are worked to encourage vine roots to penetrate deep into the tuffeau bedrock, manual harvest with strict sorting carried out in the vineyards
- VARIETY: 100% Chenin Blanc from old vines averaging 30 to 60 years of age
- TERROIR: The vineyards are located on the hillsides of Brézé in the Saumur appellation of the Loire Valley. Brézé is a unique terroir historically renowned for white wines, with wines once known as "Chenin de Brézé" and regularly exchanged with Château d'Yquem during the 17th century. The geology consists of clay topsoil over tuffeau limestone subsoil—a porous, chalky limestone also used in the construction of the Loire's Renaissance architecture. The cold temperatures of Brézé combine with highly active calcium content in the soil to create wines with unusually low finishing pH levels (ranging from 2.85 to 3.05) and extraordinarily powerful acidic structures similar to those found in Champagne. The stony, poor soils with their limestone-rich composition are particularly well-suited to Chenin Blanc. The continental climate benefits from light precipitation due to the rain shadow effect of the Massif Armorican to the west, resulting in mild winters and dry summers.
- VINIFICATION: Grapes are hand-harvested with intense sorting in the vineyard, whole-cluster pressed using only free-run juice, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in barrel, minimal intervention winemaking philosophy with no commercial yeasts used, no sulfur added during vinification
- AGING: Extended aging of 24 to 36 months without racking in a very cold underground cellar that is part of the historic Clos Rougeard cellar system, aged in a combination of seasoned oak barrels and Stockinger foudres, the exceptionally cold cellar temperatures protect the wine during élevage and contribute to the wine's preservation and development, only a modest dose of sulfur added before bottling
- TASTING NOTES: Crystalline and mineral-driven with remarkable purity and focus, the wine displays bright citrus aromatics including lemon-lime and citrus pith alongside white peach and stone fruit, delicate floral notes of white flowers intermingle with subtle herbal tones, the palate is compact and direct with a tensile line of vibrant acidity that provides both freshness and structure, chalky and flinty minerality dominates the mid-palate reflecting the tuffeau limestone terroir, the 2021 vintage showcases the classic Loire style with elegant balance rather than power, medium-bodied with remarkable finesse and ethereal lift, the finish is long and persistent with pronounced salinity and mineral character, despite being considered the entry-level white from Domaine du Collier this wine demonstrates exceptional quality and complexity with significant aging potential
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Lobster rolls and shellfish, rich fish such as salmon and tuna, roast chicken and poultry, fresh seafood with white sauces, fried foods, creamy dishes and braised preparations, mild and soft cheeses, stinky aged cheeses, vegetarian dishes