In a world filled with nice individuals, Brendan Stater-West stands out as a paragon of genuine kindness. One might wonder how a young American hailing from Oregon with no prior winemaking background found himself as the assistant vigneron to Romain Guiberteau, a highly acclaimed winemaker in the Loire Valley’s Saumur region. The journey began with Brendan working in a wine store in Paris, where he had his first taste of Guiberteau’s wine. Fate smiled upon him when he met and married a wonderful French woman, leading them to settle in Saumur. It was here that Brendan approached Romain for a job, a decision that would prove mutually beneficial.
Brendan possesses an innate talent for crafting Chenin Blanc wines with a distinctive character, guided by a strong sense of humility and an open approach to winemaking. If his inaugural vintage is any indication, we can expect remarkable things from him. His mentor and current employer, Romain Guiberteau, aided Brendan in establishing his own winery in 2015 by leasing him a single hectare of land adjacent to Romain’s renowned lieu-dit in Bizay, known as Clos du Guichaux.
Continuing his streak of good fortune, Brendan recently crossed paths with a family of vignerons with no successors, owners of an old cellar in Chacé, a town within the Saumur-Champigny appellation. The family’s wish for the cellar to regain its former vitality is now becoming a reality, as Brendan has purchased the property and embarked on the process of restoring this ancient tuffeau cave to make it his own. Needless to say, Brendan’s future looks exceedingly promising.
Saumur, a diverse appellation, lies adjacent to the southern border of the more famous red wine region, Saumur-Champigny. Not all Saumur wines are created equal, particularly when compared to the exceptional white wines produced in the hills of Brézé and St. Cyr. However, exceptions can be made for vineyards on neighboring hillocks that share the same tuffeau limestone bedrock, much like Brendan’s hectare in Bizay.
Brendan’s one-hectare vineyard, Les Chapaudaises, is situated a half-kilometer from the renowned Brézé hill, on a slightly elevated slope. The soil in this vineyard is predominantly composed of tuffeau limestone, enriched with calcium-rich clay and sand, along with an abundance of seashell fossils.
In early 2015, Brendan took control of this single hectare of organically-farmed vines in Bizay, Les Châpaudaises, located just south of Brézé, to create his own wine. The vineyard, replanted in 2002, sits adjacent to Clos de Guichaux below and features a soil profile with a thin layer of loamy clay over the classic limestone of the region, known as tuffeau. His second release was naturally fermented in stainless steel and aged for 18 months in used large-format barrels, sourced from Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau. Brendan remarks that this terroir is finely tuned for the style of Chenin Blanc he’s passionate about – elegant, pure, vertical, and endowed with salinity from the limestone. He harvested the grapes three days earlier than Guiberteau’s Clos de Guichaux, resulting in a wine that arguably possesses more texture.
Tuffeau, a type of sandy limestone, originated during the Cretaceous Era, some 79 to 150 million years ago. It consists of 80% calcium carbonate from marine sedimentation and 20% sand. Under a microscope, one can observe black micaceous sedimentary deposits originating from the erosion of metamorphic rocks from the Massif Armoricain to the west. This sandy component makes it excellent soil for white wine production. Interestingly, it also provides robust structural support for masonry, which is evident in the town of Saumur, where most buildings are constructed using these tuffeau rocks.
The wines
Size: 1 ha (2.47 ac)
Variety: Chenin Blanc These vines are massale selections on Riparia Gloire rootstocks: great vegetal material for balanced yields and terroir transmission.
Vine Age: Planted in 2006
Terroir: Commune of Bizay, 2 km south of Brézé, 40cm-deep topsoil of loam, sand, clay, tuffeau (soft limestone) bedrock
Viticulture: Lutte raisonnée, organic methods
Vinification: Light decanting of lees, and indigenous yeast fermentation in older oak barrels for up to 1 month. Aged for 12 months in older barrel, 6 months blending in stainless steel tank.
Tasting notes
2018 Saumur blanc Les Chapaudaises
This bright and mineral-driven Chenin Blanc is loaded with flavours of salty stone fruit, green apple skin, and crushed wet rocks. 90 Corked Points
2017 Saumur blanc Les Chapaudaises
Still mineral-driven. Refreshing and slightly sparkling acidity. Don Boscop apple character with a touch of overripness. Pencil tips and stone fruit. 89 Corked Points
2015 Saumur blanc Les Chapaudaises
Overripness took over the mineral character of this creamy Chenin blanc. Very clear character with refreshing acidity. Basket of aromatic and exotic fruit. 92 Corked Points
