Domaine des Closiers, 2020 Saumur-Champigny “Les Closiers”
Located in the commune of Parnay, Domaine des Closiers is a historic domaine in Saumur-Champigny that has existed for several generations. Many centuries ago, the word 'closiers' was the name given to the vignerons who once worked the land and resided in the troglodyte dwellings dug out of the tuffeau. The modern story of the domaine begins in 2018 when it was purchased by Epérnay-native Anatole de la Brosse. An oenologist by training, Anatole had a successful career as a management consultant before choosing the path of the vine. The domaine is comprised of 15 hectares of vineyards, of which 14 hectares are Cabernet Franc, with most parcels being in Parnay with a few in neighbouring Souzay-Champigny and Turquant. Under the direction of renowned viticulturalist Michel Chervé, the estate commenced organic conversion in 2020. In the cellar, Anatole is guided by long time friend Nady Foucault.
The domaine produces 3 Cabernet Francs, two cuvées parcellaires, Les Coudraies and Trezellières, and then their "domaine" wine Les Closiers, which is coming from multiple parcels. There is also a 4th Cabernet Franc, another cuvée parcellaire, from an enchanting little clos, Bay Rouge, and the first vintage of this was 2020 and it is still aging in barrel and has yet to be released.
The ‘‘Les Closiers” is estate's domaine wine, which is coming from 8 hectares of vines from parcels across the commune of Parnay, which provides me a perfect opportunity to provide an overview of this commune. Parnay is one of the 6 communes in Saumur-Champigny that hugs the Loire River. It is bordered to the east by the commune of Turquant, and bordered to the west by Souzay-Champigny.
The viticultural area of the commune begins at the edge of the plateau on the south side of the Loire River, and is concentrated in an area that is about 2.5 from north to south, and is a little over 1.5km from east to west. Unlike some other communes in the appellation, where there may be a certain degree of homogeneity to the terroirs, the viticultural areas in Parnay are a little more difficult to define and summarize. The topography across the commune is quite varied, and as a result we find a wide variety of vineyard aspects and elevations, and this has exposed a labyrinth of soils over time.
In the northern part of the commune, closest to the Loire River, the majority of the vineyards are perched on the tuffeau chalk plateau at elevations between 55 and 68m above sea level. Here, we will find both the Upper and the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk, and the topsoils have a higher proportion of clay, and they tend to be a bit more shallow as well. These sites also have a bit more of a northern exposure.
In the central and southern part of the commune, there is a large forested area at a higher elevation that surrounds the vineyard area in a bit of a U shape. This affords this area a bit of protection from winds, and it also enhances the biodiversity of this area. Here we have vineyards that are at a slightly higher elevation of 70 to upwards to 90m above sea level. The soils here are a bit of a patchwork in terms of origin, so we will find soils that date to the Senonian age and the Eocene epoch. There are some sites here that have a lot more sand in the topsoil as well, and the topsoils here also tend to be a bit deeper as well. We will find any number of exposures here depending on how the vineyard is positioned relative to the surrounding forests.
When I visited the domaine in February, Anatole and I took a drive through the commune, and this southern part of the commune is really quite magical. The way the forests envelope the area, and enhance the biodiversity of the vineyards, and on top of that there's a magnificent view of the northern part of the commune. It provided a great overview of Parnay from this vantage point.
So, looking at today's wine a bit closer, as I mentioned this is coming from about 8ha of vines from multiple lieux-dits. There are four lieux-dits in Parnay, and one parcel in Turquant. These parcels have a fine clay topsoil, ranging in depth 30 to 50cm, and this is atop the middle Turonian tuffeau chalk. As well these parcels mainly have a northern exposure, which Anatole explained to me is quite advantageous as it allows for slightly slower ripening, and this helps to ensure that come time for harvest, the phenolic maturity aligns well with the technical maturity. So the fruit has balanced acidities and sugars, while achieving good ripeness of the polyphenols.
From a winemaking perspective, the fruit for this wine is hand-harvested, sorted three times by hand, and then destemmed. The fruit undergoes a cold soak for about 10 days in advance of alcoholic fermentation. Anatole takes extra special care to ensure that his fermentation temperature does not exceed 20C, and the fermentation is with indigenous yeast. The time on skins is about 30 days total, and the approach to maceration is infusion, with only the occasional gentle pumpover to ensure the cap stays wet. After the free run wine is drained off the skins, the skins are very lightly pressed, so there is very little press wine in the finished cuvée. The aging for the 2020 was done all in stainless steel for about 8 to 10 months before bottling.
Key wine wine facts below:
Producer: Domaine des Closiers
Appellation: Saumur-Champigny
Commune: Parnay
Lieux-Dits: Bosse de Baux, Champs Cerceaux,Bretinières, Coudraies, Bourdes Foin (Turquant)
Soils: varied; predominately a shallow fine, clay-dominated topsoil atop the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk bedrock
Alcohol: 13.0%
