Arnaud Lambert Château de Bréze Clos David Saumur Blanc, Loire Valley 2012

(Formerly known as Château de Bréze) 

While Arnaud’s family hails from the Loire, he is the first in his lineage to produce wine under the family’s name. He farms organically (certified!) on the hill of Brézé, a unique elevated terroir predominantly planted on tuffeau soils, with a mix of clay, over hard limestone bedrock. He strives to showcase the terroir of each vineyard he farms, which is why he creates so many different bottlings of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. 

Brézé is a unique site due to its relatively high elevation and eminently nuanced geological profile. The significant presence of tuffeau,  (a porous, chalky limestone also used in the construction of much of the Loire’s Renaissance architecture) results in finely mineral Chenin  Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Clay and sand also lend themselves to the diversity of the terroirs, giving body to the reds and richness to the whites. 

Clos David

• Size: 1.3 ha (3.21 ac)
• Variety: Chenin Blanc
• Vine Age: Planted 1965
• Terroir: Continental climate with light precipitation due to the rain shadow effect of the Massif Armorican located toward the west. Winters are mild and summers can be dry and these days quite hot, depending on the year. Most of the vineyards are on tuffeau limestone bedrock with a topsoil composition of sedimentary and alluvial depositions of varying levels of clay and sand and topsoil depth. Planted with northwest aspect on a mild slop 60 meters above sea level.
  
• Viticulture: Organic (certified), Guyot Poussard pruning
• Vinification: Whole-cluster pressed for 4.5 hours. Juice is selected with the first 25% of the press juice and the last 30 minutes of the press juice declassified and blended into the entry-level appellation wines. Fermentation is natural unless absolutely necessary to compromise with a pied de cuve (grape juice already fermenting) due to very high alcohol potential. Vinified in 50% in 30hl foudre (bought in 2012) and 50% in 2 to 3-year-old French oak barrels. Max fermentation temperature between 17°C (foudre) and 20°C (barrel) during the 3-4 week fermentation. Malolactic rarely happens and accounts for 20% maximum, depending on the year. One batonnage (stirring of the lees) at the beginning of the winter, two months after the primary fermentation. The first SO2 addition is made just before bottling.
• Aging: Aged 50% in 30hl foudre (bought in 2012) and 50% in 2 to 3-year-old French oak barrels for eleven months, followed by 6 months in stainless steel before bottling. Racked one time (but not always) after fermentation and racked again at bottling