Here we have a serious Chenin Blanc, produced by one of the Loire Valley’s natural wine legends. Thierry Germain, a Bordeaux native with a Burgundian winemaking style, has been honing his craft at Domaine de Roches Neuves since the early ‘90s. He farms 28 hectares of phenomenally situated vineyards planted to Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. According to Thierry, the process is all about balance, from the vines to the wines: “Balance of the environment, of nature, of the relationship between humans, plants, and also animals. Balance when it comes to finding the perfect symbiosis between the terroir and the plant. Each harvest, a search for balance in determining the right maturity of the grapes to preserve minerality and tension.” As one of the Loire’s early converts to biodynamics, he cultivates a deep connection to the hallowed ground he works, tending his land with the utmost respect for life and biodiversity. This uncompromising philosophy translates directly to the wine, resulting in Saumurs that are entirely complete and exude an unmistakable sense of place.
         Thierry’s Insolite, meaning “unusual,” comes from a tiny plot of gnarled 90-year-old Chenin Blanc vines embedded in clayey, silex-rich soils over chalky limestone bedrock. The combination of ancient vines and special terroir result in an ultra elegant and finely-etched expression of the grape. A sensorial springboard to the charms of Thierry’s mineral-driven whites, Insolite is loaded with notes of citrus skin, ripe orchard fruits, river rocks, and a touch of smoke. The extraordinary depth, freshness, and precision in the glass will leave no doubt that this is Saumur blanc at its most scintillating.