Sortie de Saumur (part two): the tastings

Visits to Château de Villeneuve, Antoine Sanzay and Château de Chaintres

Vineyard, church of Souzay-Champigny and Château de Villeneuve (on right)

Following lunch at Le Pot de Lapin we headed off to Château de Villeneuve in Souzay-Champigny. Jean-Pierre Chevallier was away in the UK training some of the staff of Brittany Ferries with whom Villeneuve has a supply contract, so we tasted with Florence Chevallier starting with the very precise, citric and floral 2007 Saumur Blanc, which is currently showing well. The weighter and richer 2006 Les Cormiers Saumur Blanc.

Then onto the reds beginning with the recently bottled 2007 Saumur-Champigny. Villeneuve has released just one cuvée in 2007 judging that the quality of the vintage did not justify releasing the Vieilles Vignes and Le Grand Clos, so everything has gone into the 'basic' wine. Jean-Pierre is particularly rigorous about not releasing his prestige cuvées in difficult years. This means that the 'basic' wine in vintages like 1998, 2004 and now 2007 offer exceptional value because the grapes from the best parcels are included. Florence told us that she and Jean-Pierre think that it is unlikely that that Le Grand Clos will be released in 2008. The 2007 has sooty, ripe aromas, fair palate weight with just a touch of green pepper in the finish.

In contrast the 2006 Jeunes Vignes (labelled as Château de Villeneuve) has more weight and structure than the 2007. There is, however, little stock of this left. 2006 Vieilles Vignes Saumur-Champigny is deep coloured – richer and more powerful than the 'basic' wine. Ideally it still needs several more years in bottle to show its best. The 2006 Le Grand Clos has lovely sweet conctrated black fruit flavours and quite a tannic structure. Ideally it needs at leats another four years in bottle.

We finished the tasting with the 2003 Coteaux de Saumur, which has great citric and marmalade aromas and flavours and is wonderfully delicate with a lot of finesse. Quite different from a Coteaux du Layon with its greater weight but less delicacy. The 2003 Villeneuve was an fortuitous accident as Jean-Pierre is far more interested in making dry whites than sweets. However, in 2003 the sugar levels went up so rapidly that going to Paris for the marriage of sommelier and wine consultant, Olivier Poussier, meant that by the time they returned on the Sunday the sugar levels were already too high to be able to make a dry white, so for the first time since 1921 Villeneuve made sweet wine in commercial quantities.

I raised the rapid aging of the 2002 Les Cormiers and its oxidative character with Florence. She explained that there were some very ripe grapes included in the 2002 (maturity had been pushed too far) and that Jean-Pierre had used less sulphur than normal, so the wine had a more oxidative character than usual. Florence said that she didn't mind this style. I'm less sure preferring the restrained richness and finesse of the 1999 Les Cormiers.

Antoine Sanzay in his chai which dates from the 1700s

Antoine Sanzay
Antoine is one of the emerging stars of Saumur. He is the seventh generation of a family of vignerons based in Varrains, just to the south east of Saumur. Sadly Antoine's father was killed in 1983 while delivering wine when Antoine was only eight years old. After working for his cousin, Didier Sanzay (Domaine des Sanzay) also in Varrains, Antoine took over the family's 10.5 hectares of vines in 2000. Antoine still has another five years of a contract with the Vignerons de Saint-Cyr to run, so 5.5 ha of his production goes to this local co-operative. This arrangement has suited Antoine well allowing him to build his reputatiuon and clientele with a small production. Once all his vineyards can be bottled under his own name, Antoine should have little problem selling all he makes.

Antoine assessing a young red

First up the 2008 Domaine Saumur-Champigny from tank with attractive rich, black fruits. Then the concentrated 2008 Les Poyeux which was remarkable approachable for a wine that is yet to go through its malolactic fermentation. Until now this cuvée has been called L'Expression as Antoine explains: "When I started up on my own I didn't want to use the lieu-dit Les Poyeux as my cousin Didier has a similar cuvée and it would have looked like copying. However, now I'm established I think it is time to use the terroir name." Les Poyeux is probably the most famous vineyard in the section of Saumur-Champigny around Varrains, Chacé and Saint-Cyr with its name established by the Frères Foucault.






(To be concluded)