Brendan Stater West, Saumur Rouge, Anjou-Saumur, Loire, France, 2024

Producer Profile

Originally, from Oregon, Brendan Stater-West didn’t grow up in a winemaking family—just one that loved wine deeply.

Originally, from Oregon, Brendan Stater-West didn’t grow up in a winemaking family—just one that loved wine deeply. A move to France in 2007 to teach English unexpectedly ignited a passion that became a calling. He began working at the esteemed Domaine Guiberteau, where he still collaborates today, and in 2015 was offered the chance to lease a 1-hectare parcel of young Chenin Blanc in Bizay, neighboring the famed Clos de Guichaux. Brendan bottled his first vintage in 2017, crafting wines aged in neutral oak and stainless steel to preserve clarity and terroir expression. Inspired by Guiberteau’s precision and purity, his wines reflect a philosophy rooted in organic farming, minimal intervention, and disciplined winemaking—honest, transparent wines that speak clearly of place.

Viticulture

From the esteemed lieu-dit La Rippaille in Brézé, this vineyard benefits from a southwest-facing exposure, allowing for optimal sunlight and gradual ripening. The soils here are predominantly sandy-clay, offering excellent drainage while retaining enough moisture to support vine health during drier periods. This specific terroir imparts a fine balance of minerality and finesse, contributing to the wine’s clarity and tension. The combination of aspect and soil composition favors slow, even maturation—ideal for producing a Chenin Blanc of both precision and depth.

Winemaking

Grapes are hand-sorted in the vineyard using a sorting table and fully de-stemmed. Fermentation takes place with native yeasts over one to two weeks at ambient temperatures. Extraction is gentle, achieved through infusion without pump-overs or punch-downs. The wine is matured for six months in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and clarity. It is lightly filtered before bottling with a total sulphur addition of 25 to 60 ppm.

Tasting Note

A vivid garnet hue introduces this wine, which offers a layered bouquet of wild bramble, tangy red currant, and cracked white pepper, underscored by subtle herbal spice. On the palate, it is silky and generous, revealing notes of fresh black raspberry, dried plum, and a whisper of forest floor. The tannins are finely knit, lending structure without weight, and the finish is persistent, tapering off with hints of savoury spice and mineral tension.

Food Matching

Lamb chops with rosemary and garlic, caramelised root vegetables, tagliatelle in mushroom cream, orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe.