BRENDAN STATER-WEST, France
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
With some selected old-vine parcels in Brézé for the Chenin Blanc and La Ripaille for Cabernet Franc Brendan, recently bought a property in Chacé, within the appellation of Saumur-Champigny. He works organically although is not certified.
Winemaking
Brendan uses infusion-style maceration and stainless steel to highlight purity and terroir, avoiding oak and excess extraction. Preferring a light decanting of lees and indigenous yeast fermentation in older oak barrels, the wines are aged for 18 months in barrel.
- An American from Oregon who fell in love with wine while in Paris, Brendan trained under renowned Saumur winemaker Romain Guiberteau before launching his own estate in 2015.
- Brendan uses infusion-style maceration and stainless steel to highlight purity and terroir, avoiding oak and excess extraction.
- Working prime plots in Saumur—old-vine Cabernet Franc on La Ripaille and Chenin Blanc on limestone-rich soils—his wines offer finesse, saline acidity, and clear varietal character.
