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Brendan Stater West, Saumur Rouge, La Ripaille, Anjou-Saumur, Loire, France, 2022

Product code: 5724

Producer Profile

Originally, from Oregon in the US, Brendan was not born into a winemaking family, just a family that “loves and drinks wine every day” and never thought that he would end up working in the industry.

However, on arrival in France to teach English in 2007 he caught the wine bug and has not looked back since. Beginning his new career by joining the team at Domaine Guiberteau, Brendan still works there today and at the beginning of 2015, Romain proposed that Brendan could lease a 1ha plot of young Chenin vines in Bizay, next to the Clos de Guichaux, to begin producing his own wines. This first vintage was bottled at the end of March 2017, having spent 12 months in neutral oak barrels (225L, 300L and 400L), followed by 6 months in stainless steel tank. Brendan seeks the same purity and precision in his wines as Domaine Guiberteau, with a ‘transparent’ reflection of the specific terroir. This estate follows environmentally conscientious philosophies, with discipline and rigour aimed at a low-interventionist approach.

Viticulture

From a single west facing site called La Ripaille in Brézé, the 1.5 metre deep sandy loam topsoil's sit above Turonian limestone. Farming organically and sustainably Brendan has produced this wine since 2018.

Winemaking

Sorting carried out in the vineyard with a sorting table, the bunches are 100% de-stemmed, followed by a 1 to 2 week long native yeast fermentation. After a minimal extraction without pump-overs or punch-downs , the wine aged for 12 months on the lees in barrels then racked and aged for an additional 6 months in steel tank.

Tasting Note

Brendan magically shows the terroir of this site through this limestone earth, spicy Cabernet Franc. Lifted by blackberry and raspberry fruit there is a lovely structure about this wine which is juicy and lingering on the finish. A terrific Saumur!