Domaine des Sanzay - 'Vielle Vignes' - Cabernet Franc - Saumur Champigny, Loire Valley, FR - 2020
Regular price $46.00
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Request a Case Order100% Cabernet Franc
Vine age: 50+ years
Maceration time before press: one month
Aged in barrel for 12 months and meant for drinking over 3-10 years.
Supple and round, this wine shows ripe dark berries in the nose and mouth with some vanilla notes from barrel influence. Tannins are ripe but not astringent and have no green edges, as can be the case with this varietal. Warm and structured, this wine shows deep complexity with some mineral and truffle notes. Truly a drink now or age for later wine, it shows well out of the blocks but will age gracefully for years to come.
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Didier & Céline Sanzay along with Didier’s son Ludovich are the 5th & 6th generations at the helm of this estate since its founding in the 1880s. Located in Varrains, in the heart of the Saumur-Champigny appellation, this family now farms 28 hectares of vines, mostly Cabernet Franc for which the area is now famous, but also 3 hectares of Chenin for the production of Saumur sparkling and still white wines. Their vineyards are located in and around Varrains including parcels in Les Poyeux, Les Dares, Beauregard and Les Fogères. The common element of these terroirs is the chalky limestone tuffeau that absorbs water during the wet months, storing it for the vines to draw from during the hot summer growing season. The great chateaux of the Loire and many cities in France were built with this porous stone, carved in quarries that now serve as the aging cellars for the greatest wines of the region.
The Sanzay family has been farming sustainably for over 15 years, using no synthetic pesticides nor fertilizers and the estate has been certified organic since 2016. In the winery, the fermentations take place naturally using only the indigenous yeasts that are harvested on the grape skins. Macerations are gentle so as to extract only the softer ripe tannins and take place in either stainless steel or concrete vats. Aging takes place in either stainless steel or concrete vats and for certain cuvées in oak barrels.