104 Saumur-Champigny AC 2008
Domaine Le Petit Saint-Vincent

Grape:100% Cabernet Franc (12.5% alc.)

Dominique Joseph’s wine has a supple, natural quality, a black cherry nose, and is packed with cranberry fruit nicely underscored by the chalky soil. For drinking now to 2012.

Technical Information
Winemaker:	Dominique Joseph
Location:	Varrains
Size of domaine:	12 hectares
Grape:	Cabernet Franc, 25-30 year old vines. Density of plantation (5,600-6,500) vines per hectare.
Terroir:	50% cretaceous micaceous chalk and 50% glauconitic sands on west facing slopes of the River Thouet.
Viticulture:	Allows grass etc to grow between the rows of vines, and ploughs from spring through to July. No chemical weed killers. 100% hand harvest. 50-55 hectos per hectare.
Vinification:	Maceration à froid for 10% of total grapes. No chaptalisation for last 4 years. Destalked 100%. Uses indigenous yeasts. Vinification in cement cuve (open topped) and likes to expose must to air at start. Then a stainless steel top is placed over the cuves of fermenting must to retain carbon dioxide. Remontage during fermentation at low temperature (26°) – average at 23°. Also breaks up cap every 3-4 days. After alcoholic fermentation a maceration of 12-15 days. Elevage in cement. Racked 3 times. Bottled end of May, unfined and lightly filtered by kieselghur.
Press:

 

qty (bottles)

exc vat: £9.15