Domaine Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny 'La Paterne' 2019
Antoine’s entry level wine is a lovely, pure expression of this terroir. It smacks of Curnonsky’s admonition that “things should taste of what they are”. And it demonstrates the level of quality achievable and why there’s so much interest in this Appellation now.
Grape Varietals & Region: 100% 45+ year old Cabernet Franc. Antoine Sanzay is the seventh generation of the Sanzay family to farm vines in the village of Varrains. The grapes come selected for the 'La Paterne' label come from the Saumur-Champigny estate, which comprises 11 ha of limestone driven soils. Antoine has long been known as one of the great farmers in the village and has been certified organic since 2014.
Taste Profile: Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny 'La Paterne' is richly aromatic. Classic cassis and raspberry Cabernet Franc fruit, cool and with a touch of coffee spice, it’s medium-bodied has juicy acidity, velvet tannins with a gentle cleansing astringency to keep the backbone of the wine. Freshness and drinkability with elegance and more than just a touch of complexity!
Winemaking Process: The harvest is picked by hand into small crates and carefully sorted upon entry to the cellar. The fruit is de-stemmed and moved to concrete vat mechanically without any pumping. It’s fermented by natural yeasts and without any additives other than a minimal dose of sulfites with a maceration of around 30 days. Then the wine is aged in 40% wood and 60% concrete tanks and blend a month before bottling.
