Thierry GERMAIN & Michel CHEVRÉ
Saumur blanc L'Insolite dry white
- 2022
- Saumur blanc
The Domaine des Roches Neuves is the estate which, through its transition to biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression in the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.
L'Insolite is produced under the name of Thierry Germain, owner of the Domaine des Roches Neuves.
- To keep or to drink :
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée :
- 2025-2030
From the same producer
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2021 vintage in the press:
Vinous (R. Gibb - July 2024) : 92/100 "Don't mess with the 2021 Saumur blanc L'Échelier: it's got attitude–flirty, floral and transparent, with the purity of a glacier. The Germains didn't do any malolactic despite the natural acidity of this vintage. This is an acid fiend's wine, but it's ripe phenolics give real firmness, like a fierce girl. Melon and apple flavors linger on the very pure and strict conclusion."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2025-2032
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2020 vintage in the press:
Vinous (R. Gibb - July 2024) : 91/100 "There's a richness to the 2020 Saumur blanc L'Échelier that reflects the dry, warm conditions of the vintage. Ripe and tropical yet saline with notes of almond meal, it's already beginning to develop. The 2020 rampages to retain its freshness despite the exotic fruit."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2025-2032
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2019 vintage in the press :
Vinous (R. Gibb - July 2024) : 95/100 "The 2019 Saumur blanc L'Échelier is dense, concentrated and ripe yet harnessed, with excellent power and purity coursing through its veins. It's salty and tangy, bone-dry and firm. The 2019 is my favorite vintage of the past decade."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2021-2028
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2018 vintage in the press :
Vinous (R. Gibb - July 2024) : 92/100 « The 2018 Saumur blanc L'Échelier is dry, round, nutty and tropical. It was a very warm vintage, giving richness and ripe pineapple character. A racy acidity holds this wine together like tight reins. There's a contrast here between that tropicality and the zingy, crunchy acidity, which messes with your head. »
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2020-2030
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2017 vintage in the press :
Vinous (R. Gibb - July 2024) : 93/100 "The golden-hued 2017 Saumur blanc L'Échelier shows ripe flavors of pineapple, honey and truffle, almost as if there's some botrytis–but there's not. It's bone-dry, yet there's a tender middle to this light-bodied wine. Expect iodine, giving a salty-like-the-sea impression. The 2017 is ready to enjoy now."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2021-2028
- Potential alcohol:
- 13%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2017 vintage in the press:
Rebecca Gibb (Vinous July 2024) : 93/100 "The golden-hued 2017 Saumur blanc L'Échelier shows ripe flavors of pineapple, honey and truffle, almost as if there's some botrytis–but there's not. It's bone-dry, yet there's a tender middle to this light-bodied wine. Expect iodine, giving a salty-like-the-sea impression. The 2017 is ready to enjoy now."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2021-2028
- Potential alcohol:
- 13%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2016 vintage in the press:
Vinous (R. Gibb - July 2024) : 92/100 "Like a good aged Riesling, the 2016 Saumur blanc L'Échelier offers up toast, marmalade, honey and is there the slightest hint of petrol here? A bit less evolved on the palate then on the nose, ot gives off a charming citrus freshness, but I'd love a little more depth."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2019-2028
- Potential alcohol:
- 12.5%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2022 vintage in the press:
La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2025): 96/100 “Dynamic and brilliant, Clos Romans instills phenomenal velvetiness and energy.”
Vinous (Rebecca Gibb) : 94/100 "The 2022 Saumur blanc Clos Romans is focused, concentrated and powerful, displaying floral, pear and melon aromas. It's a structured style, creating a picture frame within which the wine sits. Intriguing with long, apple-infused length, this wine has an identity and is proud of it."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 5 to 10 years
- Apogée:
- 2029-2041
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2021 vintage in the press:
La Revue du Vin de France (J. Cukierman - April 2024): 96-97/100 “A dry and straight wine, but very charming in its aromatic palette with fresh almond and lemon bergamot [...] It offers great tension, a very pure structure and takes us into its marine and iodized universe”.
La Revue du Vin de France (A. Goujard - April 2024): 95/100 “It evokes fresh almond and pineapple. Invigorating aromatic vitality. Chiseled substance on the palate, a magnificent flowing, intense texture. The fatness builds slowly to an extremely salivating finish. Luminous !”
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 3 to 5 years
- Apogée:
- 2028-2039
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2026-2035
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2022 vintage in the press:
Vinous (R. Gibb - July 2024): 92/100 “The 2022 Terres Chaudes offers silky substance and something to get your teeth into despite its elegance and finesse. As ever, there's pure fruit, harmony and bite. A firmness to the tannins appears right at the end, lending structure that gives the wine frame."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2025-2034
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2021 vintage in the press:
Vinous (R. Gibb - December 2023): 89/100 “The 2021 Terres Chaudes is a highly aromatic, light-bodied style although there is a touch of juiciness through the mid-palate. True to its vintage, there's no doubting the refreshing acidity and the touch of herbal in the flavor profile. The tannins are well handled, and the fruit is pure and adulterated, as well as lightly spiced."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2024-2032
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2022-2030
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2020-2028
- Potential alcohol:
- 12.5%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2025-2035
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2022-2032
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.Rated 17/20 by M. Bettane and 17.5/20 by the Revue du Vin de France (February 2019) "its velvety texture gives it a sublime fullness of fruit and an invigorating length on the palate [...] With a singular definition, Ma Marginale even evokes an airy balance of beautiful Burgundian pinot noir".
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2020-2030
- Potential alcohol:
- 12.5%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.La Marginale is the cuvée of reference for the red wines of the Domaine des Roches Neuves, 100% Cabernet Franc facing south on deep limestone.
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2020-2028
- Potential alcohol:
- 13%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.La Marginale is the cuvée of reference for the red wines of the Domaine des Roches Neuves, 100% Cabernet Franc facing south on deep limestone.
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2016-2028
- Potential alcohol:
- 12.5%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2026-2038
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2021 vintage in the press:
Vinous (R. Gibb - December 2023): 92/100 “The 2021Clos de l'Echelier is a delicate and tender style, with impressive purity of fruit. It is almost cloud-like in its lightness on the palate. The finest of chalk-like tannins covers the mouth in a blanket of finely-pixelated image, which can no doubt be attributed to this limestone-rich, north-facing site as well as a very delicate hand when it comes to extraction. Being 2021, there's no shortage of acidity, but it is entirely integrated within the wine, providing a thread of tension that courses through its core, leaving everything tied up on the precise finish. This is a harmonious,well-crafted example."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2026-2037
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2024-2033
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.Rated 18/20 by BETTANE & DESSEAUVE
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2021-2030
- Potential alcohol:
- 13%
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2022 vintage in the press:
La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2025): 96/100 “Les Mémoires combines dark, smoky, sanguine aromas with superior density. It is still very young; its depth will enable it to display a singular face in the world of great Cabernet Francs for laying down.”
Vinous (R. Gibb - July 2024): 93/100 “The 2022 Les Mémoires is a dark, fruited wine with blackberry and flint notes. Light in body and delicate, with a belt of austerity, the 2022 could benefit from decanting. It's a firm, taut style that holdq the mouth like a vice. A Cabernet Franc with real pinosity that requires time due to the combination of tannin and flint.”
La Revue du Vin de France (Jérémie Cukierman - April 2024): 97-98/100 “2022 is the last vintage bottled, and it's a tenor that doesn't need to force its voice. It offers incredible aromatic purity, with a very strong floral imprint. [...] The palate is not muscular, but caressing”.
La Revue du Vin de France (Alexis Goujard - April 2024): 97/100 “Radiant aromatic brilliance and incredible florality characterize this wine. It seems at once full of strength, vitality and serenity. A well-balanced body is sculpted by a tannic refinement that is not easy to grasp in this vintage. A graceful evolution is to be expected."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 5 to 10 years
- Apogée:
- 2031-2044
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2021 vintage in the press:
Vinous (Rebecca Gibb - Master of Wine - December 2023): 94/100 “Made from vines planted on clay-limestone in 1904, Les Mémoires 2021 is fragrant, refined and long. It displays rich concentration in an elegant, rather delicate whole. As expected with a wine of this age, it's young and bright, with aromas of red currant fruit, flowers, black olive and even a hint of smoky wood. There's definitely depth and tannins, but they melt away on the palate. The finish is refined and assured, with a shimmering acidity that gives it a fabulous backbone. Apogee 2024-2038.”
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2030-2042
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
This is the domain which, by its passage into biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression of the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.The 2021 vintage in the press:
Vinous (Rebecca Gibb - Master of Wine - December 2023): 94/100 “Made from vines planted on clay-limestone in 1904, Les Mémoires 2021 is fragrant, refined and long. It displays rich concentration in an elegant, rather delicate whole. As expected with a wine of this age, it's young and bright, with aromas of red currant fruit, flowers, black olive and even a hint of smoky wood. There's definitely depth and tannins, but they melt away on the palate. The finish is refined and assured, with a shimmering acidity that gives it a fabulous backbone. Apogee 2024-2038.”
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2030-2042
- Organic certification:
- 2004
-
The Domaine des Roches Neuves is the estate which, through its transition to biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression in the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.
Clos du Moulin is produced under the name of Thierry Germain, owner of the Domaine des Roches Neuves.More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2020-2026
-
The Domaine des Roches Neuves is the estate which, through its transition to biodynamic viticulture and its parcel selections, shows the most beautiful qualitative progression in the Loire Valley. Crystalline Chenins and ripe Cabernet Franc, all matured with mastery to sublimate the purity and identity of the juices, between tension, crispness, refinement and generosity. In white as in red, a dazzling and flawless range.
Rated three stars in the Revue du Vin de France guide.
Les Pentes is produced under the name of Michel Chevré, the vineyard manager of the Domaine des Roches Neuves for more than 20 years.Michel CHEVRÉ a travaillé aux côtés de Thierry GERMAIN en tant que chef de culture du Domaine des Roches Neuves. Depuis 2007, en collaboration avec Thierry GERMAIN, il élabore sur 3 ha sur une butte calcaire plein sud, deux grands chenins en culture biologique : Clos de l'Écotard et Les Pentes.
« Doté d'une formidable trame saline et ferme, c'est une boule de nerf de chenin mûr. » noté 17/20 par la Revue du Vin de France.
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2021-2028
- Potential alcohol:
- 13%
-
Since 2019, Jeanne Germain has been following in her father's footsteps, producing a micro-cuvée of 'natural' Cabernet Franc: working the soil with animal traction, organic and biodynamic vineyard management, gentle extractions and no added sulfur. A crisp wine, "with serene and sincere fruit and a delightful finish" for the Revue du Vin de France.
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2024-2029
-
Since 2019, Jeanne Germain has been following in her father's footsteps, producing a micro-cuvée of 'natural' Cabernet Franc: working the soil with animal traction, organic and biodynamic vineyard management, gentle extractions and no added sulfur. A crisp wine, "with serene and sincere fruit and a delightful finish" for the Revue du Vin de France.
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2023-2028