NZ-Wide 
NZ-Wide
Free Shipping
Buy OnlineThe 50-hectare Domaine des Roches Neuves is run by Bordelais Thierry Germain who is regarded as one of the most respected producers in the Loire Valley and is an avowed practitioner of organic and biodynamic viticulture where from his estate near the town of Saumur he makes some of the most expressive Cabernet Franc red wines in the region.
Harvesting at the domaine is all manual and vinification is done in small batches with optimally ripe grapes which leads to wines with plump and generous Cabernet Franc fruit flavours. Wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined. His painstaking attention to detail and quality has earned Thierry an enviable reputation around the world especially with Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc obsessives.
Biodynamic. 100% Cabernet Franc. Germain’s calling card is drawn from the domaine’s many parcels in Saumur. These varied sites grow on tuffeau/limestone soils around the communes of Varrains, Chaintres, Dampierre and Saumur. The vines range from 10 to 70 years old (with the average at around 30) and include the domaine’s ‘home’ vineyard, Le Clos, a site ploughed by the family’s Ardennais draft horse. Germain harvests by hand, employs cold soak infusion for some parcels and carries out the wild yeast fermentation and maturation mostly in tank. Aside from a minor 10 ppm SO2 at bottling, the wine sees no additions. Packed with youthful Saumur joie de vivre, this is a pure, elegantly floral red with perfumed dark cherry, anise and graphite notes and a juicy, supple, mouthwatering personality that pairs beautifully with cheese, paté, pork chops and roast chicken. In other words, the perfect bistro wine (that goes with every course)!
91/100 Beverley Blanning MW, May 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"Thierry Germain describes this wine as his most representative cuvée, and it's a fine introduction to this quality domaine. It has an uplifting and typically Cabernet Franc fragrance, and is gentle, bright and red-fruited on the palate. Fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel, it is a light, pure expression of Saumur-Champigny that nevertheless has a satisfying richness to it. The wine ages for three months on fine lees to preserve all of its youthful freshness. A delicious early-drinking wine."
Yohan Castaing, RobertParker.com, Wine Advocate, June 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"The 2023 Domaine des Roches Neuves possesses a gourmand bouquet of fresh dark berries, flowers and cassis, followed by a juicy, delicate and tense palate, finishing ethereal and elegant."
