Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Terres Chaudes 2014

Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Terres Chaudes is a Cabernet Franc now drawn entirely from the Poyeux terroir at Chaintres.

Saumur-Champigny occupies the tuffeau limestone plateau on the left bank of the Loire east of Saumur, and it is the appellation that made Cabernet Franc's reputation for perfumed, finely structured reds. Terres Chaudes was formerly a blend of two terroirs and now comes exclusively from Poyeux at Chaintres, close to the heart of the appellation and the site made famous by the Clos Rougeard bottling of the same name. Thierry Germain's vines here average about forty years and grow on the côteau, where a very shallow topsoil sits almost directly on limestone bedrock. All the fruit was de-stemmed and fermented in cement with some foot-treading, then matured in neutral sixty-hectolitre tronconique wooden vats. The imprint of Poyeux is unmistakable: wild blackberry and dark cherry, ginger spice and a deep mineral line, ripe but pure, bright and long.

It is drinking well and has the balance to hold for a decade. Serve lightly cool at 15-16°C with roast duck, veal or a lentil and mushroom braise.

*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.