Saumur Rouge ‘Les Chapaudaises', Domaine Guiberteau, 2024
Saumur Rouge ‘Les Chapaudaises', Domaine Guiberteau, 2024
- 75cl
- 12.5%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Franc
- Organic
- Biodynamic
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Optimal drinking window: 2026 - 2034
Est. delivery late 2026
Romain Guiberteau has become one of the Loire's most compelling voices, farming his vines around Saumur with the precision of a Burgundian and the soul of a natural wine rebel. From a single vineyard planted in 1948, Les Chapaudaises delivers greater depth and concentration, combining old-vine intensity with the elegance and precision that define Guiberteau.
This 2024 shows all the hallmarks we love about Guiberteau's approach: pure, unadulterated fruit expression with that chalky backbone that makes Saumur Rouge so distinctive.
Les Chapaudaises sits on the classic tuffeau limestone that defines the best Saumur vineyards, providing excellent drainage whilst retaining enough moisture for the vines during dry summers. This chalky bedrock, formed from ancient marine deposits, gives Cabernet Franc its characteristic mineral backbone and fresh acidity. The vineyard's gentle south-facing slope captures morning sun whilst avoiding the worst of afternoon heat, allowing for slow, even ripening that preserves the grape's natural elegance and aromatic intensity.
Saumur Rouge covers red wines from around the historic town of Saumur in the central Loire Valley, where Cabernet Franc reigns supreme on limestone soils. The appellation allows for Cabernet Sauvignon and Pineau d'Aunis as well, but the best producers focus on Cabernet Franc, which thrives in this cool climate and chalky terroir. Saumur Rouge sits stylistically between the earthier, more structured reds of Chinon to the west and the lighter, more floral wines of Anjou to the north, offering wines with both fruit purity and mineral complexity.
We're still learning what 2024 gave us in the Loire, but the early signs are promising. The growing season brought its share of drama — a challenging spring that kept vignerons on their toes, followed by a summer that delivered just enough sunshine without tipping into the punishing heat that can flatten the region's trademark freshness. Harvest timing varied considerably across the valley's sprawling length, with producers picking earlier than usual in some appellations while others waited for that final push of ripeness.
What we're tasting shows wines with lovely energy and balance, particularly from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé where the Sauvignon Blanc has that mineral backbone we adore without the green aggression of cooler years. The Chenin Blanc from Vouvray and the Coteaux du Layon seems to have found its sweet spot between richness and acidity, while early tastings of Chinon suggest the Cabernet Franc has real potential for structured, age-worthy reds. Most 2024s are drinking beautifully now with their youthful vibrancy intact, though we suspect the better examples will reward patience over the next three to five years.
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