Skip to main content
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Toggle Navigation Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant Your Cart

2018 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc

Grange Saint-Sauveur
Discount Eligible $57.00
AT CART MAX

Alice Gitton-Pouponneau grew up in Le Thoureil, a charming village on the Loire between Angers and Saumur. Today, along with her husband, Antoine Pouponneau, she farms the sloping vineyard parcel that was essentially her backyard playground. This idyllic site, which faces the lazily meandering river, enjoys perfect southeast exposure and the moderating effect of the water. The old trunks of Grolleau and Cabernet Franc are clearly very happy, soaking up the sunshine and gorgeous views while sending deep roots into the soils of clay, limestone, and silex.
     Since taking oversight of the vineyard, Alice and Antoine have applied biodynamic farming methods and plowed it with a horse. After a natural fermentation, the wine rested for 18 months in demi-muids before an unfiltered bottling. The beauty and energy of the site comes through with total transparency: the fruit is concentrated, deep, and pure, suggesting wild brambles and tart blackberries, along with an earthy, spicy component and hints of cedar. It has the levity to offer immediate pleasure, along with the complexity and structure to age well for a few years. At KLWM, we are thrilled to add this talented couple’s first cuvée to our diverse lineup of Loire reds.

Anthony Lynch

Discount Eligible $57.00
AT CART MAX

Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2018
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Grolleau Noir, Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Vin de France
Country: France
Region: Loire
Producer: Grange Saint-Sauveur
Winemaker: Alice Gitton-Pouponneau and Antoine Pouponneau
Vineyard: Planted in early 1980s, .65 ha
Soil: Clay, limestone
Aging: Élevage for 18 months in 1-3 year old demi-muids (400-600 liter) before aging 12 months in bottle
Farming: Biodynamic (practicing)
Alcohol: 12.5%

More from this Producer or Region

About The Region

Loire

map of 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

Discount Eligible $32.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $39.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $84.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $31.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $31.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $34.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $43.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $46.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $49.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $58.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $34.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $38.00
AT CART MAX
Vintage Chart

Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch

Discount Eligible $57.00
AT CART MAX