Arnaud Lambert Saumur Brz ‘Bourguenne’ 2021

Organic (in transition to bio-dynamic)Variety: Chenin blancCountry, Region: France, LoireAppellation:Saumur Breze

100% Chenin Blanc from a tiny 0.30 hectare Clos facing east on the hill of Breze and located beside one of the small holdings of Clos Rougeard. Just 3 barrels produced of whihc one barrel is a new Dussieux barrel (the barrels favoured for Clos Rougeard which are made in tiny volumes). Whole bunch pressed with natural yeast and aged in barrel for 24 months without malo and given an extra 12 months in bottle before release. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Released with age and will age effortlessly in this vintage.

‘Brz is on the rise, today producing some of the most arrestingly mineral, intense Chenin Blanc on the planet. For at least 500 years, these vines produced some of the most profound wines of France. They were regularly exchanged, barrel for barrel, with Chateau dYquem, the nectar like sweet wine from Bordeaux that sells for thousands of dollars a bottle. They were a favourite at Versailles under the Sun King, Louis XIV. Today, out of 400 hectares (980 acres), only 4 producers are bottling wines as Brz, accounting for about 10% of the vineyard area. Arnaud Lambert has 21 hectares, and makes stunning single vineyard whites from Clos du Midi, Clos David and Clos de la Rue. These are precise crystal sharp wines in their youth, with enough snap to shock the tongue, but still posses the weight and resonance to expand and slightly soften with age. The reds come from Clos de LEtoile and Clos Mazurique. While differences in each vineyard lead to wines of distinctive character, Lamberts style arcs toward grace. His wines are stripped down and elemental, ripped with acidity and verve. They plug into the electricity of Brzs limestone soils.’Rajat Parr, The Sommeliers Atlas of Taste.

Historically, Saumur or more precisely Brz, has been a reference point for fine French wine as royalty exchanged these wines annually for Chteau dYquem Sauternes. Such has been the reknown for the magnificent hill of Brz over the centuries, and once again attention is turning to this great hill as a source of incomparable whites that are often compared with Montrachet the greatest of white Burgundies. Brz is a unique site due to its relatively high elevation and eminently nuanced geological profile with its limestone subsoil proving to be perfectly suited to Chenin blanc for much of the site. The significant presence oftuffeau, (a porous, chalky limestone also used in the construction of much of the Loires Renaissance architecture) results in finely mineral Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Clay and sand also lend themselves to the diversity of the terroirs, giving body to the reds and richness to the whites. Arnauds driving ambition is to truly understand and reveal the distinctions within this extraordinary appellation.

Arnaud Lambert is helping to discover the expression and diversity of soils and individual sites (terroirs) in the appellations of Saumur and Saumur-Champigny. The goal is to give expression to each individual terroir and realise each vineyard sites potential through organic viticulture (transitioning to bio-dynamic) and minimal intervention wine-making. Even though he works a total of 40 ha of vineyards in these 2 villages, the local cooperatives control nearly 70% of the surface area in Brz and Saint Cyr and mass-produced crmants still dominate the region.