Winemaker Notes
This red comes from one of Thierry’s grand cru parcels, a centuries-old, walled-in clos that he fell in love with years before he was able to acquire it. Somehow Thierry manages in most years to craft an epic rouge from these grapes that is incredibly pretty right out of the gate, and will have a long, mesmerizing life ahead.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A subtle and perfumed nose of blueberries, dark cherries, warm herbs, earth and mild spices. Medium body with supple tannins. Vivid, well-rounded and juicy with bright fruit character and a delicious, crunchy finish. From organically grown grapes.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Saumur Champigny Clos de l'Échelier opens with a deep, intense and perfectly ripe bouquet of dark fruits (mainly black berries), a hint of plums, black pepper and more crushed spices as well as underwood. Smooth, elegant and refined on the velvety-textured palate, this is a full-bodied, fresh and stringent Cabernet Franc with remarkable concentration but also finesse. The finish is intense and firmly structured with massive but ripe tannins that are well integrated and not dry at all. This is an impressive Cabernet from Saumur-Champigny that is made for the long distance. Ripe pear and even fine pear brandy flavors on the aftertaste.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
Marked by great châteaux built with the same tuffeau limestone that is also responsible for the excavation of so many of the famed Loire caves, Saumur is famous for its Chenin blanc based sparkling wines. Inside the Saumur region, Saumur-Champigny creates some of the Loire’s greatest Cabernet Francs.