Brendan Stater-West Saumur Blanc Brézé 2018

This Chenin Blanc comes from L'Ardillon, a single south to south-west facing parcel on the hill of Brézé planted in the 1960s.

Brézé is a low hill south of Saumur whose vineyards have been prized for Chenin Blanc since well before the modern appellation existed. On L'Ardillon there is about eighty centimetres of clay and loam over Turonian limestone, enough depth for ripeness while the rock beneath supplies the firm mineral spine that lets the site carry a substantial dry white. Brendan Stater-West came to Saumur in 2012 to apprentice with Romain Guiberteau, who led the revival of Brézé, and began bottling under his own name in 2015. The wine ferments in stainless steel over about three weeks on ambient yeasts, then spends a year on fine lees in barrels of one to three years and a further six months in tank. Malolactic does not occur, held off by low pH and a cold cellar, and the wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered and only moderately sulphured.

Worth three to five years in bottle and capable of longer. Serve at 10-12°C with roast chicken, grilled snapper or a soft goat's cheese.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.