Photo from the cellars of Chateau Yvonne

Saumur-Champigny & Saumur may not be the most famous appellations in the Loire, but they certainly seem to be among the most fashionable in wine circles these days. We can’t blame people for falling hard for Saumur. We definitely have. What’s the difference between the two appellations? Saumur-Champigny is planted exclusively to red grapes, mostly Cabernet Franc. Saumur can be either red or white - Cab Franc on the red side and largely Chenin Blanc on the white side.

It’s been well known for some time now that Clos Rougeard, the standard bearers of the appellations, produces some of the greatest wines on the planet, but their bottles are rarer than hen’s teeth and have finally begun to be priced in line with their extreme quality. We adore drinking Clos Rougeard as much as any Loire obsessive, but it’s been especially exciting over the last few years to witness the rise of a new guard of producers that remain mostly under-the-radar of the wider wine world. We have a fantastic group of wines from some of the who’s-who of the new wave to bring you today.

We start with Chateau Yvonne, run biodynamically by Mathieu Vallée since 2007. Mathieu’s wines are fresh, dense and intensely pure. You may not have heard of Yvonne, but expect this address to be a household name in coming years. Domaine du Collier is the property of young Antoine Foucault, son of the late, great Charly Foucault of Clos Rougeard. 2/3 of his vines are especially old Chenin Blanc, with the rest planted to Cabernet Franc. These are powerful, succulent wines defined by precision and exceptional length. ’12 may prove to be his finest vintage to date. Romain Guiberteau has made waves in recent years with his zesty, polished whites and his spicy, sexy reds. These wines are a perfect bridge for Burgundy nuts to get to know the Loire, and we have current and back vintages from across his stable to offer. And last but not least, La Porte St. Jean, run by the talented Sylvain Dittiere. Sylvain worked under Antoine Foucault and then Gerard Gauby in the Rousillon before striking out on his own. From 6ha in Saumur, he is turning out some of the silkiest, classiest, most irresistible Cabernet Franc we have tasted in a long time.

It's a matter of time before more people wake up to the quality on display from these talented producers. Pick their wines up now before you're left chasing the herd.

The wines below are offered on a first come, first served basis. Follow the links below to purchase directly from our site or call/email us if you need some assistance.

Cheers,