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2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry GermainInfluenced not only by the father of biodynamics, Rudolf Steiner, but also by Steiner’s predecessor Goethe, Thierry Germain embodies the intellectual quest for excellence that animates a good number of today’s most exciting producers. You might say, “It’s just wine,” but I dare you to taste this bottling with that mindset and not change your tune. This Saumur Champigny is electric and alive, from the first scent of roses on the nose to the juxtaposition of textured tannic grip and sheer weightlessness on the palate. It’s as complex as the mind that made it.
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Saumur Champigny |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Thierry Germain |
Winemaker: | Thierry Germain |
Vineyard: | 1.2 ha, 12 years |
Soil: | Sand, limestone |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
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Fine, with bright acid, sleek silkiness, and great length, it is the most elegant of all of Thierry’s red wines.
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
France | Loire
This dry Chenin Blanc is etched from the white limestone beneath—crystalline, pure, and chiseled.
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
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Thierry Germain’s meticulous process coaxes out the delicate and aromatic side of Chenin Blanc—think jasmine, honeysuckle, and peach.
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
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This chiseled Chenin Blanc comes from 70-year-old vines planted on an ancient limestone slope. Burgundian-like in character from its time spent in barrel, the laser-like acidity will become even more enticing with some age.
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
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This downright Burgundian wine shows off the savory spine and weightless concentration imparted by this particular site.
2022 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
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This cuvée delivers trademark elegance and notes of blackberries, forest, and graphite.
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
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This blanc is chiseled and electric and boasts notes of citrus, herbs, and stones that would beautifully complement pan-fried sea bass or shrimp tacos.
2021 Saumur Champigny “Terres Chaudes”
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Thierry has perfected the art of coaxing this Cabernet Franc’s soulfulness and elusive finesse into bottle.
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
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This blanc is chiseled and electric and boasts notes of citrus, herbs, and stones that would beautifully complement pan-fried sea bass or shrimp tacos.
2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
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Redolent of almonds, honey, and a wide range of citrus, this kaleidoscopic Chenin finishes with a faint tannin, making it ideal alongside sushi, roast chicken, or a hard and flavorful cheese like Comté.
About The Producer
Thierry Germain
Thierry relocated to the Loire from Bordeaux in the early 1990s, and soon fell under the influence of his spiritual father, Charly Foucault of Clos Rougeard. Thierry would ultimately convert his entire domaine to biodynamic viticulture, which was the equivalent of his wine epiphany. Listening and observing his plants, allowing them to guide him, revolutionized his way of thinking. Thierry harvests on the relatively early side to preserve fresh, vibrant fruit. His goal is to produce Cabernet with purity, finesse, and drinkability, while avoiding rusticity, vegetal character, and hard tannins. When it comes to his Chenin, he makes bone dry, high acid, mineral wines that drink like Chablis young and take on weight slowly over time. Aging takes place in large oval foudres (for the whites) and round foudres and demi-muids (for the reds) in Thierry’s frigid tuffeau cellars below his winery in Varrains. His incredibly diverse terroirs are translated with utter clarity and precision.
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
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2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
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2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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2022 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
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2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Racines”
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2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
Domaine des Roches Neuves France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Racines”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch