Le P'tit Domaine, Saumur Champigny 'Les Bois Blancs' 2018
Les Bois Blancs is slightly more grown up than Le Coup d’Douze, stylistically different too. Older vines and a longer maceration gives way for more of a decadent, complex wine with some time in barrel too. Very much true to its terroir and style, its unmistakeably elegant Cabernet Franc.
Les Bois Blancs is slightly more grown up than Le Coup d’Douze, stylistically different too. Older vines and a longer maceration gives way for more of a decadent, complex wine with some time in barrel too. Very much true to its terroir and style, its unmistakeably elegant Cabernet Franc.
Les Bois Blancs is slightly more grown up than Le Coup d’Douze, stylistically different too. Older vines and a longer maceration gives way for more of a decadent, complex wine with some time in barrel too. Very much true to its terroir and style, its unmistakeably elegant Cabernet Franc.
Richard Desouche created his P’tit Domaine in 2006 from scratch, having previously worked for a négoce and with Didier Sanzay, his brother-in-law. He always worked in parallel and managed Chateau de Chaintres for 20 years. His first purchase was 0.6ha of Chenin Blanc «Entre deux Voyes» and 0.4 ha of Cabernet Franc «Les Bois Blancs». He restored the vineyards, stopped using weedkiller and in 2009 turned towards organic viticulture with certification granted in 2013. He has assembled 4.5ha piece by piece with some exceptional terroirs around the 3 villages of Saumur Champigny, Dampierre and Varrains. While touring his vineyards we talked about some very famous “Clos” dotted around the appellation. Clos Rougeard of course with whom he is currently the vineyard manager and a long-time friend of Nady Foucault, Clos Cristal and mostly his very own: Clos Lintier. Since 2017 he has his own facilities (sandwiched between Antoine Sanzay and Domaine des Roches Neuves) featuring a deep tuffeau cellar underneath to allow slow maturation. He applies a Burgundian approach to vinification with long maceration in tank or used barrels to protect freshness and purity. Despite having a reasonable vineyard holdings, his production remains very small.
Grape Varieties: 100% Cab Franc Age of Vines: Vines over 50 years old Terroir: Mostly Clay - Limestone Surface Area: Domaine totals 4.5ha Vinification: Manual harvest, native yeasts. Macerated on Skins for 24 - 28 days in concrete vats. Malolactic takes place is old burgundy barrels. Ageing: Aged on lees for 2 years in the same barrels. Light filtration at bottling.
