Saumur Blanc ‘Clos des Carmes’, Domaine Guiberteau, 2021

Clos des Carmes is (in many minds) the flagship white from Domaine Guiberteau. Harvested from old-vine Chenin on clay-limestone/tuffeau soils in Brézé, hand-picked, fermented with native yeasts, and aged 18–24 months on lees in mostly older oak barrels before finishing in tank, it's both rich and precise: bright acidity and a chalky, slate-like minerality give it freshness and focus, while a round, textured body offers depth and weight.

Domaine Guiberteau is one of the Loire’s most thrilling producers and a name increasingly mentioned in the same breath as Clos Rougeard. Trained by the legendary Nady Foucault himself (of Clos Rougeard fame), Romain Guiberteau crafts wines that combine electric precision with a quiet intensity that speaks of Brézé’s chalky soils - the Loire’s most prized terroir for Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc alike.