# Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc (2024)

- **Producer:** Domaine Guiberteau
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chenin Blanc
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €31
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, grapefruit, apple, quince, peach, blossom, biscuit, cream, honey, hay

## About this wine

Domaine Guiberteau is one of the most celebrated estates in the Loire Valley, located in the Saumur region. Reclaimed in 1996 by Romain Guiberteau, a former law student, the estate underwent a dramatic transformation under the mentorship of Nady Foucault of the legendary Clos Rougeard. Romain converted the vineyards to organic farming and focused on the exceptional limestone-rich terroirs of the hill of Brézé. Today, the estate has achieved cult status, renowned for producing some of the most precise, energetic, and age-worthy Chenin Blancs in the world. The 2024 vintage represents a refined focus on estate-owned older vines, delivering unmatched purity and structural tension.

## Interesting facts

- Romain Guiberteau abandoned his law studies in 1996 to reclaim his family's leased-out vineyards and rebuild the estate from scratch.
- The estate was mentored by Nady Foucault of Clos Rougeard, helping elevate Saumur and the hill of Brézé to global cult status.
- Importer Becky Wasserman famously described Guiberteau's whites as having 'punk rock violence, yet of Bach-like logic and profoundness.'
- The estate has been fully certified organic by Ecocert since 2007, working the soils entirely without synthetic chemicals.

## Food pairing

The high, electric acidity and intense mineral backbone of this dry Chenin Blanc make it an exceptional partner for rich, textured seafood and creamy cheeses. It cuts effortlessly through the fat of butter-sauced fish or roasted poultry, while its saline finish beautifully mirrors the briny freshness of raw shellfish.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process at Domaine Guiberteau is characterized by meticulous, low-intervention practices designed to highlight terroir. Sourced from organically farmed estate vineyards on clay-limestone and tuffeau soils, the Chenin Blanc grapes are hand-harvested and strictly sorted. Vinification begins with a slow, gentle whole-cluster pneumatic pressing. Spontaneous fermentation occurs using only indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and neutral oak foudres. Malolactic fermentation is intentionally blocked to preserve the grape's vibrant natural acidity. The wine is aged on its fine lees for 7 to 10 months before receiving a light filtration and minimal sulfur addition at bottling.