Thierry Germain - Saumur Champigny 'Les Memoires' Red 2023

Grape

100% Cabernet Franc

Tasting notes

The 2023 Thierry Germain (Domaine des Roches Neuves) Saumur-Champigny 'Les Mémoires' is an exceptionally elegant, deep, mineral-driven red wine made from 100% Cabernet Franc. Sourced from legendary old vines planted in 1904, this vintage is highly acclaimed, earning 93 points from Vinous (Rebecca Gibb) and 94/100 from La Revue du Vin de France.

The color is intense, clear ruby-red with dense violet reflections that will evolve to garnet with age. The nose is highly expressive and layered, opening with pure notes of wild forest strawberry, raspberry liqueur, and blackberry, complexly layered with violet florals, fresh menthol, anise star, white pepper, and graphite, with no green or herbaceous character. The palate is remarkably direct, fresh, and energetic on entry, with a silken, fluid texture that feels light on its feet despite great inner concentration; the tannins are exceptionally fine, powdery, and seamless, a signature drawn from the century-old vines. Driven by its terroir of flint and limestone scree, the finish is long, cool, and stony, with a clean vertical lift.

More About The Winery

A leading figure of the Loire Valley’s new generation, Thierry Germain has redefined the identity of Saumur through a relentless pursuit of purity and terroir expression. Since taking over Domaine des Roches Neuves in the early 1990s, he has transformed the estate into one of the region’s benchmarks.

Working with biodynamic principles, Germain cultivates his vineyards with a deep respect for living soils, primarily composed of tuffeau limestone—a soft, chalky rock that brings tension, freshness, and remarkable minerality to the wines. His approach in the cellar is equally precise and minimalist, favouring gentle extractions and, increasingly, the use of large oak, concrete, and amphora to preserve energy and finesse.

Cabernet Franc is at the heart of the domaine. Here, it reveals a style far removed from rusticity: vibrant, lifted, and finely structured, with notes of red berries, graphite, violets, and subtle herbal nuances. The tannins are refined, the acidity bright, and the wines carry a distinctive sense of verticality.

The whites, crafted from Chenin Blanc, show equal precision—textural yet taut, with layers of citrus, orchard fruit, and saline minerality, capable of both immediate pleasure and graceful ageing.

Domaine des Roches Neuves stands today as a reference for modern Loire wines: precise, energetic, and deeply expressive of their origin, guided by one of the region’s most thoughtful and influential vignerons.