Chronicle of the Week: Le Clos de l’Écotard

Le Clos de l’Écotard is a young estate created in 2011 by Michel Chevré, then vineyard manager at Thierry Germain’s Domaine des Roches Neuves.
Supported by his son Thibaud, together they produce magnificent, invigorating Chenin Blancs, stripped of all artifice, which are already among the finest examples of Saumur wines.
Sleek and pure, Cuvée Les Pentes comes from a 45-acre plot of limestone on the south-facing slopes of the Courchamps commune.
Aged in an Austrian Stockinger foudre for 10 months, the 2017 vintage opens with citrus notes against an iodized background. The palate is rich, lemony and carried by a saline minerality.