2012 Château de Brézé Clos David Saumur Blanc (last of vintage)

Staff Reviews

KM

Keith Mabry

Keith Mabry

K&L Buyer

Of the Breze blancs we have, this is the most polished and richest of the bunch. The "Clos David" is full bodied with creamy pineapple, zesty Meyer lemon and a lusty finish of minerals. Not as crackling as the "Midi" but this is for Burgundy fans anyways. Breze is world class. Meant for the cellar, but still exciting and nuanced now.

Notes

Château de Brézé has a long and storied history, first being mentioned in texts in 1068, lauded by King René of Anjou in the 15th century and served at all the royal courts. In 1957, when the AOC of Saumur Champigny was established, the owner of Château de Brézé refused to be part of the appellation, saying that his estate's vineyards were the best and deserved an appellation all their own. And he was probably right. Unfortunately, the wines from those exceptional vineyards were terrible. Lucky for us, the winery sold in 2009 to Le Comte de Colbert, who recruited Arnaud Lambert from nearby Domaine de Saint Just to make the wine. He changed the vineyards over to organic farming and began producing truly stellar wines worthy of their source. The 2012 is all estate-grown Chenin Blanc raised in stainless steel to preserve freshness.