Description
“Florent Baumard is one of the world’s best winemakers, and you probably don’t know him. That’s because he produces Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, an all-too-often overlooked region. Baumard produces a range of dry and sweet wines, topped by his Quarts de Chaume. And perhaps the best part of Baumard’s new wines is that they are now all under screw cap. Bravo to Florent Baumard for making this decision based on quality, not marketing.” Wine Spectator – James Molesworth
“The Baumard style is a very particular one, both Savennières and Quarts de Chaume quite distinctive. Looking at Savennières first, the style can be a little difficult to pigeonhole; avoidance of softening features – in particular fermentation and élevage in cement or steel rather than wood, and the absence of the malolactic fermentation – typifies the old-school style of Savennières, giving wines that are firm, austere, bone-dry and capable of great terroir expression after a few years in bottle. Sometimes quite a few years. Those wishing to make Savennières more accessible, more attractive at a younger age, are more likely to employ wood and malolactic fermentation to take the harder edge off the wine. Baumard’s philosophy means the style here leans towards the traditional, but when you line them up against other traditionally styled wines the wines remain distinctive. Ultimately, I suppose, I have to accept that they show a style that is uniquely Baumard. Thinking particularly of the Clos du Papillon and Clos Ste Yves cuvées, they remain taut, especially now they are bottled under a screwcap closure, for many years, only softening as they hit a decade or more. They move from rather stern notes of green pear skin and preserved lemons in their youth into a style more honeyed and textured with age, all of which comes purely from the fruit…. ” The Winedoctor.com
“When this small portion of Anjou Coteaux de la Loire produced only sweet wines, the AOC regulations set a correspondingly low maximum yield. This concentrates the wines on four southeast-facing slopes of volcanic debris that produce the world’s greatest dry Chenin Blanc. Bone-dry to dry wines of great mineral intensity, Savennières can be some of the longest-lived dry white wines in the world. Most critics believe that the single greatest Savennières is Nicolas Joly’s Clos de la Coulée de Serrant and, while I agree that it is one of the greatest wines of the Loire, I think that Baumard’s Clos du Papillon (not to be confused with Clos du Papillon from other growers) consistently displays greater elegance and finesse. ” Tom Stephenson, The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia, 2011.
92 points Wine Spectator “Shows excellent cut from the start, with pear eau-de-vie and green almond notes guiding the salted butter, brioche, fig and green melon flavors. The mouthwatering acidity is deeply imbedded on the finish. Drink now through 2018.(JM)”
RRP $102 ** SPECIAL 6 BOTTLE BUY OR MORE ..Only $78.50 when you buy 6 of this wine**
