Saumur-Champigny, Thierry Germain 2024

Owner and winemaker Thierry Germain is an avowed practitioner of biodynamic viticulture and from his estate near the town of Saumur he makes some highly regarded wines. This red is his domaine cuvée and is packed with crunchy red summer fruits which are followed by spicy and savoury notes mid-palate. The tannins give have a bit of grip giving a good balance and it all leads up to a pleasant, slightly smoky finish.

The crunchy fruitiness here means it works well all by itself. With food charcuterie, pâtés and cheeses work well.

Thierry Germain, owner of Domaine des Roches Neuves, comes from a long line of Bordeaux winemakers, and arrived at this estate in the Loire appellation of Saumur-Champigny in 1991. He works his vineyards in the most natural manner he can with the aim of keeping the vines and soils in full health and in the process has become a fully-fledged advocate of biodynamic production. Harvesting is manual and vinification is done in small batches with optimally ripe fruit which lead to wines with plump and generous fruit flavours. Bottling is unfiltered and unfined. His painstaking attention to detail and quality of product has earned much praise from all corners and given him a justifiably enviable reputation.