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2020 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
Thierry Germain
The 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

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.

2023 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
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Made from nearly hundred-year-old vines, this a great initiation into the world of Thierry’s white wines.

2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
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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.

2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
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This dry Chenin Blanc is etched from the white limestone beneath—crystalline, pure, and chiseled.

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.

2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
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This sparkling wine has decadently rich, honeyed fruit and a nice dollop of buttery brioche.

2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
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Thierry’s Saumur Blancs are bone-dry, high-acid, mineral Chenin Blancs that drink like Chablis young and take on weight slowly over time.

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

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.

2021 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
France | Loire
Sourced from 110+ year-old vines, this is hands-down one of the best Cab Francs being made in the Loire Valley today.
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.
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2023 Vouvray “Les Fondraux”
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2023 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
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2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
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2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2015 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2015 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
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2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
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Our Guarantee

Our Guarantee
We only import wine we drink and enjoy ourselves, directly from the source.
Our wine tastes the same in your home as it did where it was bottled in Europe.
Like the long-term relationships we build with growers, we build long-term relationships with our clients. Have a question? Need wine advice? Just give us a call—510-524-1524.