Clos de l’Écotard Saumur Blanc 2019

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The estate’s emblematic vineyard, the Clos de l’Écotard, was planted by Michel Chevré between 2009 and 2013. It lies on a slope of clay/limestone with occasional outcrops of limestone bedrock, below the village of Courchamps. With the help of Thierry Germain, Chevré planted at a density of 8000 vines per hectare (considerably higher than the regional norm) using a range of Chenin clones and sélections massales sourced from the vineyards of François Chidaine.

Covering a continuous parcel of two hectares, the Clos de l’Écotard has only ever been ploughed by horse and the farming has been organic since day one. The first six harvests from this site were vinified by Germain and sold alongside his Roches Neuves portfolio. 2017 was the first vintage bottled by the newly formed Domaine and was released alongside a second wine from the same vineyard (Les Pentes).

About Clos de l’Écotard

“Three white Saumurs are produced with the desire to carve magnificent sleek Chenins, stripped of all artifice. From La Haie Nardin to Pentes passing through the emblematic cuvée of Clos de l’Écotard, these whites are already among the greatest in Saumur” 

La Revue du Vin de France

Clos de L’Écotard is the label established by Michel Chevré, who was the technical director at Thierry Germain’s Domaine Roches Neuves between 1992 and 2018. (Before this, Michel’s father, Maurice, was the winemaker at Denis Duveau’s Roches Neuves for 25 years before Thierry Germain became the new owner in 1992.)

In addition to his role at Roches Neuves, Michel began producing his own wines under the Clos de L’Écotard label from a vineyard he established in 2009. The wine turned out to be the first bottling from the Clos de l’Écotard, a striking organic Saumur Blanc that would continue to be made at Roches Neuves, up to and including the 2016 vintage.

By mid-2017, Chevré was in a place to part ways with his old friend and establish his own small family estate.  The following year — now joined by his son Thibaud — the newly formed estate covers three hectares of vines comrpising three distinct parcels all planted to Chenin Blanc, and would three cuvées of Saumur Blanc.

Covering two of those hectares, Clos de l’Écotard has continued as the family’s emblematic cuvée. This parcel was densely planted between 2009 and 2013 with a range of vine material, including massale selections from the vineyards of François Chidaine. This cuvée was joined by a single-foudre selection called Les Pentes, drawn from vines rooted in the rockiest, limestone enriched parcel in the top, north-east corner of the Clos (with yields devastated by the black frost, no Les Pentes was bottled in 2019). A third bottling, La Haie Nardin, originates from a small parcel of 50-year-old vines that has been owned and farmed by the family since 1996.

The video below follows Michel and Thibaud in the vineyards and cellar, providing a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at Clos de L’Écotard. While it is in French with French subtitles, you don’t need to be fluent to easily grasp what the father-and-son team prioritise in their winegrowing.

In the Vineyard

As you would expect from Roches Neuves’ long-standing ex-chef de culture—and a grower who must share in the dazzling successes of that domaine—the vineyard work here is impeccable.

All the vineyards are certified organic (Ecocert) and managed biodynamically (although mainly due to the red tape involved, the domine has no plans to certify as biodynamic). The Clos itself is completely ploughed by the Domaine’s own draft horse, Fleur. Natural grass growth is encouraged, and the vines—instead of being trimmed at the top—are rolled à-la Roches Neuves and in the style of Burgundy progressives Olivier Lamy and Charles Lachaux et al.

Yields are restricted to four or five bunches per vine. Naturally, the grapes are harvested manually (rare in the Loire, where machine harvesting is the norm these days).

In the Winery

When asked about his winemaking, Thibaud Chevré invokes one of Nady Foucault’s (Clos Rougeard) favourite bon mots: “The less work I do, the happier I am”.

The grapes are whole-bunch pressed in an old basket press, and fermentations are wild. Sometimes malo is partially blocked, sometimes not—it all depends on the vintage. He uses little or no sulphur during the vinification or élevage, just a touch at racking and bottling (60mg/L total). Fermentation begins in stainless steel tank, then moves to a mixture of oak foudre (incl. Stockinger) and used 500-litre barrels.

To increase the complexity of his inventory, one or two new, low-chauffe barrels (from different suppliers) are purchased annually, and recently, two grès (sandstone) jars have entered the picture.

The 2019 Vintage at Clos de l’Écotard

The 2019 vintage in the Loire Valley was a good vintage, producing wines that are drinking beautifully in their youth but have the potential for ageing.

The spring was chilly and dry and some vineyards were affected by April frosts. The cold conditions delayed vine growth to a certain extent but a hot, dry summer finally kicked in mid-June. Temperatures rose quickly but with little rainfall, drought became an issue for many and summer heatwaves saw some vines suffer.

The harvest for many parts of the Loire began in September and was generally successful with the surviving grapes generally rich and concentrated from the summer drought. It is perhaps too early to determine the overall quality of the vintage, but early reports suggest it’s looking good.

Where in the World is Clos de l’Écotard?

Clos de l’Écotard is located in Saumur in the middle Loire. The family domaine is located in Artannes-sur-Thuet, 12 kilometers south of Saumur, but the cave and the vines are in Courchamps.