Domaine Guiberteau - Saumur 'Bizay - Clos de Guichaux' Blanc - 2019

100% Chenin Blanc. Guiberteau’s 1.4-hectare Clos de Guichaux is a historically renowned vineyard located in Bizay terroir in the small village of Épieds, very near Brézé. It is a monopole for Guiberteau. The site is the classic clay/limestone of the region but has only 30cm of topsoil before the roots must plunge directly into the pure, chalky bedrock. It was replanted in the early 2000s with massale cuttings taken from the family’s best old vines in Brézé. It’s a site that is quickly cementing its place as one of Saumur’s finest white vineyards—thanks to wines like this. 2019 was yet another frost-affected year of low yields for Guiberteau. But what nature has taken with one hand, she has given with the other. Otherwise a dry and sunny year, the vintage has provided perfectly ripe and strikingly fresh whites with all the trademark savoury, mineral drive one expects from this domaine. The 2019 was fermented and raised for 12 months on lees in two- to four-year-old barrels (600-litre, light-toast Atelier Centre France and François Frères that had previously housed the Brézé cuvée), followed by six months in tank. As you would expect, this is a step up from the wines above, particularly in its aromatic complexity. The nose is striking, an almost Riesling-esque brew of feijoa, hints of pineapple and crushed rock. The palate is a study in silk and texture, tapering to an explosive, driven finish licked by salty minerals and quinine freshness. A masterful Guichaux. Importer Notes