2016 Domaine du Collier, Saumur Blanc, La Charpentrie

Antoine Foucault and Caroline Boireau prioritize biological viticulture and patient, non-interventionist cellar practices, defined by multi-year elevage in cold, underground tuffeau caves without racking or sulfur additions. Sourced from the La Charpentrie lieu-dit in Saumur, this wine is produced from Chenin Blanc vines—some over a century old—anchored in clay topsoils above a porous Turonian limestone subsoil. The 2016 growing season was marked by significant spring frosts which limited yields, resulting in a vintage of notable concentration and structural intensity. Architecturally, the wine displays a dense mid-palate weight and a chiseled framework of high-toned acidity, grounded by a saline, phenolic texture typical of the Brézé hillsides. This bottling remains a persistent and linear expression of the site, where the natural tension of the vintage reinforces the depth of the ancient-vine material.