Saumur Clos Romans 2023 Roches Neuves | Loire

Among Thierry Germain's signature white wines, Saumur Clos Romans from Domaine des Roches Neuves occupies a singular place. This white Saumur is born in the heart of a closed vineyard encircled by medieval walls dating back to the XIᵉ century, a rare place whose historical resonance merges with the depth of the soil. On this small plot in the southern Loire, Chenin vines planted at high density using massal selection take root in a fine layer of clayey sand laid on Senon limestone. This clay-limestone terroir is worked entirely with horses, and weeding is left natural to preserve the life of the soil. The grapes are harvested by hand, followed by gentle pressing and fermentation in barrels with indigenous yeasts. Ageing for nine months on fine lees at low temperature in the Domaine des Roches Neuves underground cellars gives this wine its serene density and mineral precision, typical of the style Thierry Germain has been patiently crafting for almost thirty years.

Philippe Mischler sommelier at mundovin: Domaine des Roches Neuves ' Saumur Clos Romans retraces Thierry Germain 's quest to reveal the straightness and grace of Chenin on limestone. It reveals the natural balance characteristic of a great white Saumur: controlled fullness, underlying tension and the depth of the great terroirs of the Loire.

The nose first stands out for its concentration and brilliance. Notes of ripe white fruit combine with floral nuances of acacia and hawthorn. As it opens, the wine reveals a vegetal and mineral dimension, punctuated by herbal touches, sweet spices and chalk.

On the palate, the ample, velvety texture underlines the richness of the fruity aromas, which burst forth with a rare density. Pear in syrup, white nectarine and fresh exotic fruit dominate, fleshed out by fresh, lemony notes that stretch the wine's frame on very sapid acidity. Floral notes return on the luminous finish, whose long mineral salinity and subtle oakiness recall the great limestone terroirs of the Loire, and Thierry Germain's quest to reveal their purity.