2021 Domaine du Collier, Saumur Rouge, La Charpentrie

Antoine Foucault and Caroline Boireau farm the La Charpentrie vineyard in Brézé with a focus on deep-rooting vine health, utilizing biodynamic practices to ensure the Cabernet Franc interacts directly with the site’s fundamental tuffeau limestone subsoil. The 2021 growing season, characterized by a cool and slow-maturing summer, favored the preservation of natural acidity and aromatic precision, yielding a wine defined by structural tension rather than extraction. The vinification is deliberately hands-off, involving fermentation with indigenous yeasts in barrel and an extended élevage of two to three years without racking in the domaine’s cold, underground tuffeau cellars. This patience results in a profile of fine-grained, persistent tannins and a dense, chalky mineral core, illustrating the ability of this terroir to produce Cabernet Franc of significant longevity and architectural definition.