Thierry Germain - Saumur 'L'Echelier' White 2020

Grape

100% Chenin

Tasting notes

A rich and unctuous cuvée, but at the same time of great precision and surprising freshness. The vines come from sandy clay soils and bedrock of Upper Turonian limestone. Manual harvest. Alcoholic fermentation in 600 liter barrels. Ageing on fine lees for nine months. All these operations are carried out at low temperature in an underground cellar to preserve the fruit of the wine. The nose combines both: concentration, freshness, generosity, power and fruity and floral notes. On the palate, the attack is straight, powerful and fruity. The finish transcends with its sharpness and richness.

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.