2021 Domaine du Collier, Saumur Rouge, La Ripaille

Antoine Foucault manages his Chacé estate with a commitment to rigorous organic viticulture and manual vineyard work to achieve physiological maturity in his Cabernet Franc without the use of synthetic inputs. The "Ripaille" parcel is situated on Turonian limestone (tuffeau) soils, a substrate that dictates the wine’s underlying mineral drive and provides the hydric regulation essential for balanced phenolic development. In the cellar, long elevage in cold, underground tuffeau caves allows for natural clarification and the slow resolution of tannins without the need for aggressive extraction or heavy sulfur use. The 2021 vintage, characterized by a return to a cooler, more classic Loire growing season, infuses the wine with a persistent acid spine and a lean, vertical frame that highlights the transparency of the site. This structural precision results in a Saumur of immense clarity, defined by fine-grained tannins and a chiseled, linear finish.