Domaine des Baumard
Savennières 2018
Savennières
Baumard’s Savennières are enthralling. The piercing minerality offset by a deep ripeness, the distinct flavors of stone fruits, spices and honeyed notes. The fabulous pleasure they offer when young, and their ability to age seemingly forever: these are special wines, appreciated at the most basic level, and revered by the most knowledgeable.
Savennières is a tiny region located on the northern banks of the Loire River, just across from the town of Rochefort Sur Loire. The entire appellation consists of fewer than 360 acres of vines, all planted to Chenin Blanc. The South/Southeast facing vineyards are planted on unique soils composed of schistous volcanic debris mixed with sandstone and granite, imparting a strong, intensely original minerality to the Chenin Blanc grape. The average yields for the appellation are well below permitted levels, and actually the lowest of any dry french white wines; the resulting wines have stunning concentration and perfume. The combination of this concentration with the naturally high acidity of the Chenin Blanc grape results in wines capable of lasting and improving for decades.
Vineyard
Baumard’s Savennières bottling comes from their 15 acre Clos Sainte Yves vineyard between the Clos du Papillon and Roche aux Moines. The vineyard’s soil profile is of shale, sand and sandstone. Mutltiple passes are made in order to pick grapes at perfect maturity. In an average year yields can range from the absurdly low 30 hl/ha to the merely very low 50 hl/ha.
Baumard adheres to several core principles in managing their vineyard, including:
– alternating cover crop among rows
– trellising high to capture sunlight and ensure ripeness
– respecting natural balances and treatments
– controlled treatments
– waste management
Winemaking
The grapes are whole bunch pressed in a pneumatic press. Pressings are gentle and fractional, meaning that Florent Baumard collects the pressed juice at ascending intervals of pressure and ferments the lots separately. The wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures on their lees; no wood is used in the winemaking or aging process, which Florent believes allows him to achieve a purer expression of site. The wine then spends 9 months on the lees in tank before being bottled.
Vintage
2018 was a nearly perfect vintage, avoiding the Spring frosts which plagued 2016 and 2017. Mild summer weather and a warm autumn produced perfectly ripe fruit with moderate alcohol, juicy acidity and dense concentration. The young wines will need time to open up in bottle – or a quick decant. Baumard’s 2018 Savennières is likely to be extremely long-lived and should blossom into a complex and regal maturity in 8-10 years.
Tasting Note
An intense dry wine, with structure and complexity. The white fruits and minerality come through this structured body, yet have an appealing roundness that becomes more apparent with air and time.
Color
White
Grape Varieties
Chenin Blanc
Appellation
Savennières
Farming
Sustainable. Refrains from using herbicides. Grasses over alternate vineyard rows.
Alcohol
13.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$38.00
Reviews
"Bringing you back for another sip"
Wine Spectator - February 1, 2021
"This balanced white is clean and pure, with a refreshing profile, but also shows depth, with flavors of apple and peach, as well as hints of lanolin that linger on the minerally finish, bringing you back for another sip."
"Fresh and savory"
Wine & Spirits - February 26, 2021
"Most of the grapes for this wine come from the 15 acres of Clos Saint Yves vineyard, between the Clos du Papillon and La Roche Aux Moines. Fresh and savory, this wine has a saline finish with lemon-thyme scents that - next to some crab legs - would brighten up an overcast spring beach day."
"Elegant and Supple"
James Suckling - September 21, 2022
"Intriguing aromas of orange peel, nutmeg, gunpowder and lemon pith. Medium-bodied with silky texture and a crisp, long finish. Fresh, elegant and supple." J.S 9/22
Reviews
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Le Logis
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Baumard’s Anjou Rouge Le Logis (named after the family home – Logis de la Giraudière) is a wine of immediate pleasure. Produced predominantly from Cabernet Franc, the wine exhibits that grape’s quintessential aromas of blackberries and graphite, with supple flavors of savory herbs and brambleberries.
Savennières Clos du Papillon
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If Savennières produces some of the most compelling dry white wines in the world, the Clos du Papillon plot within Savennières , so named for its butterfly shape, concentrates and magnifies all the characteristics of this small, distinct appellation. Baumard is the largest owner of this vineyard, with the best holdings, and the wines display a captivating combination of ripe orchard fruit, floral, and mineral notes, within a structure able to age decades.
Crémant Carte Turquoise Brut
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First produced in 1957, Baumard’s Crémant Carte Turquoise is a beautiful, hand-crafted example of this appellation, which now covers both the Anjou and Touraine AOCs.
Savennières Trie Spéciale
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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.
Quarts de Chaume
Quarts de Chaume
The dramatically beautiful Quarts de Chaume appellation produces some of the great sweet wines of the world, Baumard's chiefly among them. Truly the "Grand Cru" site of the Loire Valley.
