Thierry Germain Saumur-Champigny Les Memoires 2021

“Thierry Germain might be a Bordelais by birth but having ended up in Saumur-Champigny “par hasard”, he is now one of the appellation’s leading lights. The range of wines from Domaine des Roches Neuves has a transparency, delicacy, and ease that you encounter too infrequently. Red wine represents the majority of production at this estate with vineyards scattered around the appellation but a lightness of touch and purity of fruit are common threads no matter the soil type, or orientation. The hands-off hand of Germain is clear, even at the ‘entry-level’ Saumur-Champigny, whose label changes color every year just to keep us confused. You’re sure to be indoctrinated in the ways of biodynamics if you encounter the affable Germain but whatever your thoughts on this farming, the results speak for themselves. You’ll find the wines on the market comparatively early. “A wine that is young should be good all its life – you shouldn’t have to wait five years; it’s like missing the first five years of child’s life.””

Rebecca Gibb, Vinous (08/22)