Description
About Domaine Guiberteau Wines
Romain Guiberteau is on a killer run of form. His current releases underline why his domaine is considered one of the Loire’s hottest addresses. The stimulating whites we offer today are, each in their own way, layered and articulate Chenins with the chiselled clarity and stony resonance of the finest Saumur blancs. Of course, as in Burgundy, you get more depth, complexity and ageworthiness as you move up the ladder. A big shout out to the newest white in Guiberteau’s portfolio, Le Bourg. Romain’s US importer Paul Wasserman famously described Romain’s whites as “dry Chenins of punk rock violence, yet of Bach-like logic and profoundness”. If you want to feel what that tastes like, this is your wine.
Speaking of our American friends, Raj Parr’s words above on Guiberteau’s reds take on renewed focus with every passing year. It’s perhaps not that well known, but Romain initially set out to focus on Saumur Rouge, and his mentor was none other than the most renowned producer of them all: Nadi Foucault, previously of Clos Rougeard. Over the years, Romain’s reds have become more poised and refined, thanks in part to the longer maturation now commonplace. There’s a stunning aged red, too, from the village of Chacé in the heart of Saumur-Champigny.
We still recall the buzz when we first tasted Romain’s wines. Rob had lugged back a couple of 2010 samples from his buying trip that he wanted us to taste. You could tell he was excited, and with good reason. The Saumur blanc, in particular, blew us away: a whirring, rapier-sharp brew of stone, fruit and flower, like a Chablis on steroids. Even back then, you could tell this wine came from what the French call a noble terroir. And all these years later, despite our familiarity with Romain’s wines, that same buzz is as strong as ever. That’s the sign of a great estate.
