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2020 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry GermainThe 2020 vintage was excellent for Cabernet Franc. The long, warm growing season was mostly drama-free, the resulting fruit ripe and abundant. This bottling is sourced from a small parcel of 110+-year-old vines, a good portion of which are ungrafted, and as you’d expect from well-tended old vines in a strong vintage, the wine is dense with promise. The fruit is very fine, almost silky, with intense minerality on the finish. Upon opening, it was quite closed but showed its potential the following day. Patience is needed—and will be rewarded.
—Dustin Soiseth
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: | 112 years, .8 ha |
Soil: | Silex Scree, Turonien Supérieur Limestone |
Aging: | Aged in 2500L foudre for 12 months |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
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 Champigny “Outre Terre”
France | Loire
Outre Terre is a tiny production of Cabernet Franc fermented in amphora and aged in barrel.
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.
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.
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
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Germain’s reds are grand examples of the heights biodynamic wines can achieve.
2022 Saumur Champigny “La Foulée”
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Made in a fruit-forward, supple, easy-drinking style with very little added sulfur.
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
France | Loire
Thierry Germain’s meticulous process coaxes out the delicate and aromatic side of Chenin Blanc—think jasmine, honeysuckle, and peach.
2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
France | Loire
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 “L’Échelier”
France | Loire
This dry Chenin Blanc is etched from the white limestone beneath—crystalline, pure, and chiseled.
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
France | Loire
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.
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 Sancerre HALF BOTTLE
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2021 Chinon
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Reuilly Pinot Noir
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2018 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Sancerre HALF BOTTLE
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2021 Chinon
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Reuilly Pinot Noir
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2018 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
If you're looking for value, look where no one else is looking.
Inspiring Thirst, page 211