2018 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Champigny Chacé (1500ml)

This lovely surprise was arguably the wine of our tasting last year. The town of Chacé lies five kilometres north of the Brézé hill, in the heart of the Saumur-Champigny appellation. Guiberteau’s other vineyards are classified as Saumur, so this wine marks Romain’s first Saumur-Champigny. Of course, Chacé will be well known to lovers of Clos Rougeard. This town is where Rougeard has its cellars and is home to its most famous vineyard, Le Bourg. In 2016, Guiberteau purchased a quarter of a hectare of old, 1948-planted Cabernet Franc vines rooted in sandy-silt soil over limestone. Bottled only in magnum and limited to less than 1,000 bottles, the idea is to label this wine as Chacé only in exceptional years. In good years, the wine will be labelled Saumur-Champigny and bottled in 750ml. Romain calls this old vineyard un lieu spécial, and judging by his first release, he is really onto something. The full maturation, using one- to two-year-old barrels, takes the best part of three years, and the wine rests for a further 24 months before release. We’re trying not to mention the B-word, yet this is very ‘Pinot’ in its floral-berry scents and silky entry. Framed by powdery, almost invisible tannins, the palate is infused with gorgeous red and blue berries and a trace of classy oak before tapering to a very long, mineral and chalky close. A sommelier’s delight.