2011 Saumur Blanc

Antoine Foucault, the son of Charlie Foucault from Clos Rougeard, began in 1999 with three hectares of leased plots. Today, the majority of his almost seven hectares of biodynamic vineyards are planted with chenin blanc on hills around Brézé. A rising star, he ferments his wines in barrel, where they remain for as long as three years without racking. His Charpentrie is a selection of partly 100-year-old vines from that site that is bottled without filtering and with almost no sulfites. Although his 2012s have not yet been released, they are said by friends who have tasted them to mark a new step in his development. The notes below are from two tastings in Paris.