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2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain

The Saumur Clos du Moulin comes from eighty-year-old vines and is slowly fermented in large, old barrels. Thierry Germain’s meticulous process coaxes out the delicate and aromatic side of Chenin Blanc—think jasmine, honeysuckle, and peach. Like all great Chenin, this wine will gain weight over time, evolving gracefully in your cellar over several years.
—Will Meinberg
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Saumur |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Thierry Germain |
Winemaker: | Thierry Germain |
Vineyard: | 80 years old, 1 ha |
Soil: | Sand, Clay, Senonien Limestone |
Aging: | Aged in 228L barrels for 8 months |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
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Outre Terre is a tiny production of Cabernet Franc fermented in amphora and aged in barrel.

2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
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Germain’s reds are grand examples of the heights biodynamic wines can achieve.

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 “Terres Chaudes”
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Thierry has perfected the art of coaxing this Cabernet Franc’s soulfulness and elusive finesse into bottle.

2021 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
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This cuvée delivers trademark elegance and notes of blackberries, forest, and graphite.

2016 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.

2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
France | Loire
Thierry’s Saumur Blancs are bone-dry, high-acid, mineral Chenin Blancs that drink like Chablis young and take on weight slowly over time.
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
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2021 Vouvray
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2021 Chinon Rosé
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2020 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
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2017 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
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2018 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc
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2019 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
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2021 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
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Catherine & Pierre Breton Pack
6-Bottle Sampler France | Loire
Sampler Includes:
NV Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante” $34.00
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses” $38.00
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse” $40.00
2021 Bourgueil “Trinch!” $31.00
2018 Bourgueil “Les Perrières” $59.00
2019 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal” $51.00
Normally $253.00
SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $199.00
(a 20% discount)
2019 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2018 Val de Loire Blanc “Fié Gris”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2017 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2018 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2019 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Catherine & Pierre Breton Pack
The Bretons will undoubtedly go down in wine history as the vignerons who made Loire Valley wines fun.
2019 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171