2023 Domaine des Sanzay Saumur-Champigny

Domaine des Sanzay’s Saumur-Champigny distills chalky hillsides and Atlantic breezes into a ruby-bright pour. Hand-picked, forty-year vines of Cabernet Franc ferment with native yeasts in cool stainless, capturing vivid red-berry perfume and feather-light tannins. Eight days’ gentle maceration teases out color and supple texture before an early spring bottling locks in freshness. Juicy cranberry and wild strawberry surge across the palate, threaded with violet, white pepper, and a whisper of graphite from the limestone soils. Bone-dry, medium-bodied, and irresistibly glou-glou, it turns weeknight gatherings into spirited Loire affairs—serve with a slight chill and watch glasses empty fast.

Nose: Red cherry, rose petal, and crushed raspberry lifted by thyme, pepper, and cool wet slate.

Palate: Bright cranberry and strawberry glide on silky tannins, sparked by herbal spice and saline limestone freshness.

Finish: Dry, mouth-watering close lingers with tart berry skin, floral lift, and clean, stony echo.

Perfect with pork rillettes, herbed roast chicken, lentil-mushroom terrine, or Loire goat cheese drizzled with honey—its zesty fruit and mineral snap refresh each bite.