Domaine des Baumard
Savennières Trie Spéciale 2010
Savennières
Domaine des Baumard produces some of the finest examples of Chenin Blanc, and Jean Baumard and now his son, Florent, are universally regarded as the finest winemakers in the appellation. Their wines are among the most unique and rewarding in the world.
Baumard’s Savennières Trie Spéciale bottling is in many ways the apotheosis of the appellation, and is produced only in great years (’89, ’90, ’95, ’97, ’00, ’10, ’14 to date). Exceptionally ripe bunches are hand-harvested in successive passes (‘tries’) through the estate vineyard, resulting in a concentrated wine of enormous structure and intensity, requiring many years to unwind into a lanolin-textured wine with flavors of stone fruits, spices, and minerals, and great length. One of France’s greatest white wines.
Vineyard
Selected from 10 acres of the oldest estate vines within the south-facing Clos St. Yves vineyard located on the northern bank of the Loire. Here the soils are varied, with schist, sandstone, and loose sand over rhyolite. The yields here are even well below the AOC average, as the old vines here produce between 1-1.5 tons per acre.
Winemaking
The grapes are whole-cluster pressed, with each press-fraction isolated and fermented separately. Each fraction is fermented in stainless steel at cool temperatures. The wine is aged for 9 months in stainless steel on the fine lees before the acceptable parcels are blended and bottled.
Color
White
Appellation
Savennières
Farming
Sustainable. Refrains from using herbicides. Grasses over alternate vineyard rows.
Alcohol
13.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$65
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