Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc

Chenin Blanc

Loire Valley, France

Romain Guiberteau owns some of the best land in Brézé, and makes dry chenins of punk rock violence, yet of Bach-like logic and profoundness. He is creating quite a stir. Founded at the beginning of the XXth century by Clément Manguin, Romain’s great grandfather, the domaine was then passed on to Clément’s son in law, Robert Guiberteau, a talented winemaker and one of the founding members of the cave cooperative of Saumur. In 1954, recognizing the great potential of this terroir, Robert purchased several hectares on the hill of Brézé, in particular the Clos des Carmes, considered by legendary gourmet Curnonsky as one of the grand crus of the Loire Valley. When Robert retired in 1976 none of his children wanted to take over and the domaine was farmed out.

In 1996, at the end of a lease cycle, Romain Guiberteau, who was flailing as a law student, decided to take over the management of his family’s vineyards rather than see the leases renewed. The following year, under the mentoring of Clos Rougeard’s Nady Foucault, Romain made 5000 bottles of red wine that he managed to sell easily. The success convinced him to pursue a qualitative approach to winemaking and to gradually take back his grapes from the cooperative.