Clos de l’Écotard Saumur Blanc Le Haie Nardin 2018

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Le Haie Nardin is a one-hectare lieu-dit of 50-year-old vines on sandy clay over limestone on the Courchamps plateau. The Chevré family has owned and farmed this parcel organically since 1996, and before 2017 the harvest formed part of Roches Neuves Insolite cuvée. Thibaud Chevré explains that the sand-rich terroir here results in his most expressive and approachable wine, something borne out by this fine release. Le Haie Nardin is fermented wild and aged for nine months in 50% stainless steel tank and 50% oak vessels, split between 25-hecolitre foudre and 500-litre demi muid.

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 2018 Vintage at Clos de l’Écotard

The 2018 vintage in the Loire Valley was excellent, producing wines that are drinking beautifully in their youth but have the potential for ageing.

A fantastic spring allowed for a successful flowering and fruit set without any of the usual problems that normally occur – rain, hail or frost. However, the good weather was not to last, with heavy rainstorms falling in June that saw the potential for heightened disease pressure.

Fortunately, a hot summer ensued. The great weather was enjoyed by the whole valley and continued right through to the harvest allowing growers to pick at their leisure.

Although, the whites generally had slightly less acidity than normal, they more than made up for it by being beautifully balanced and aromatic. Both Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay were very successful and some top sparkling wines were also made. The Sauvignon Blanc in Touraine was exceptionally good with rich, ripe, semi-tropical flavors. It was also a successful year for sweet wines.

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.