6 February, 2022
In the afternoon we drive to Thibault in the Saumur wine region. He shows us his vineyards, then we taste our way through his barrels, which lie in a cold 10,000 sqm cellar, which of course he doesn’t fully use at all. We then taste a few more bottles upstairs in his workshop. All of Thibault’s wines are amazing. He only releases a wine ih he’s happy with it, otherwise it stays in the barrel. It’s that simple. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any notes as I was enjoying the visit so much. His friend Fabien Perréard (»Le Nadir«), who resides in nearby Saint-Hillaire-Saint-Florent, also gives us some of the wines to taste that he has been making since 2020 – he uses Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, just like Thibault. We are excited, this being his first vintage. The cuvées we try are »chebro« (Chenin Blanc), »forêts paisibles« (a blanc de noirs from Cabernet Franc grapes) and »octobre« (Grolleau Noir and Cabernet Franc). Fabien is particularly interested in acidity – Thomas and me, too! I would like to represent Fabien’s wines – unfortunately he only produces very small quantities so far.
Thibault’s vineyard (Cabernet Franc)
The back of Thibault’s shed
A bar in Thibault’s cellar
Thibault Stéphan (l) and Thomas Puéchavy
Thibault Stéphan (l), Thomas Puéchavy (m) and Fabien Perréard
»Chebro«, a great Chenin Blanc by »Le Nadir«
The front of the postcard Fabien Perréard designed – the back gives you the different cuvées he has produced so far
The back of the postcard Fabien Perréard designed – I marked the three wines we tasted
Au revoir!