{"title":"Fabien Duveau","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eFabien Duveau makes his wines in a deep limestone \u003cem\u003ecave\u003c\/em\u003e dug in the 14th century from the same beautiful creamy white sandstone that later went to build the great Loire chateaux. His cellar is located in the narrow main street of Chacé, only a few doors from the Foucault house and cellars where for many years visitors came to taste Clos Rougeard wines. The \u003cem\u003ecaves\u003c\/em\u003e were first used as dwellings for the Saumurois, though the constant chill and humidity levels they bring are more perfectly suited for winemaking and storage than human habitation. The domaine, in Fabien’s family since the late 18th century, now spreads over 16 hectares around the neighbouring villages of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg, Varrains and Brézé.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe name Champigny derives from the Latin \u003cem\u003eCampus Ignis\u003c\/em\u003e (fields of fire), a reference to the relative heat of the microclimate, the warmest in Saumur. Crucial to the freshness of the wines is, Fabien notes, “the land’s ability to store this heat by day and diffuse it by night.” Being positioned at the eastern edge of the maritime zone tempers extreme heat during the growing season, though raises temperatures substantially in the winter. Protected from Atlantic moisture by the gently sloping hills to the west, Saumur-Champigny vineyards see some of the driest conditions in the region, with Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg the most arid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBrézé lies just to the south of the border of Saumur Champigny and it notable not only for its UNESCO listed Chateau de Brézé, but also its gentle though notable hill of limestone covered in sand as distinct to the richer clay based top-soil more common around Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg (which also shares the same limestone \u003cem\u003etuffeau\u003c\/em\u003e deeper down). A low plateau of \u003cem\u003etuffeau,\u003c\/em\u003e the yellow-white calcareous rock so distinctive of the central Loire, rises at the eastern edge of the town of Saumur and continues southeast, running under Fabien’s holdings. \u003cem\u003eTuffeau\u003c\/em\u003e retains water as other limestones do, and drains more effectively, protecting against hydric stress while releasing water to the vines as needed. Overlaying the \u003cem\u003etuffeau\u003c\/em\u003e is a mix of sand clay and limestone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eFor winemaking all wines are fermented with native yeast and his reds are 100 % destemmed and whites whole bunch pressed. No SO2 is used in the elevage until bottling with minimal safe levels. Fabien attributes the fine velvety tannins, vivid fruit, and appetising freshness of his Cab Francs and the forceful intensity of his Chenins to this soil composition. His aim is to allow the personality of each parcel to come through clearly in his wines. To this end he emraced organic and then bio-dynamic practices in the vineyards to enable each plot to fully express itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAt about the time Fabien converted the family holdings to organics, Saumur-Champigny growers were banding together to establish Ecological Zone Reservoirs (EZR) — border areas of bushes, trees, and creepers, designed to provide year-round shelter, food, and breeding sites for helpful insects, birds, and animals. “Proximity to the plot encourages exchanges between the EZR and the vine. Grasses around the plot and the presence of vegetation between the rows accentuate these exchanges,” Fabien explains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn the vineyards, Fabien has a mix of clones, though his oldest plots (mostly planted in 1960’s) are of massale selections. All training is guyot and yields are carefully controlled. Fabien vinifies and bottles separately his holdings in Les Hautes (upper) and Les Bas (lower) Poyeux. (Clos Rougeard made this site famous, and have only ever bottled as just Poyeux - and only in Cabernet Franc.) Fabien makes a distinction based on vine age (older vines in Bas Poyeux), soil composition, elevation, and orientation, which leads him to take a different course in the cellar as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eLes Hauts Poyeux\u003c\/em\u003e sports the famous \u003cem\u003ePoyeux\u003c\/em\u003e sand, which runs to a depth of 80 cm before the first clay over limestone. Fabien gives this wine a long maceration, or as he says, ‘essentially an infusion’ allowing the aromatics to be linked to this soil texture. Aging for 12 to 18 months further refines the aromatics and shows the finesse of tannins in this amazing terroir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBas Poyeux is lower, with shallow (20 cm) sandy soils over clay and limestone. This gives the limestone an opportunity to shine through. Fabien uses half concrete vats and half barrels for the ageing to show out the depth and complexity of this site.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe richness of this terroir is also expressed in the Duveau chenin. He’s also the only producer we know of that releases a Chenin from \u003cem\u003ePoyeux, \u003c\/em\u003efrom his tiny holding of 0.8 ha\u003cem\u003e. \u003c\/em\u003eAnd it’s from 40+ year-old vines to boot. The successive soil layers (sand, clay, limestone) give the white \u003cem\u003ePoyeux\u003c\/em\u003eits seamless elegance, finesse and minerality. An outstanding Chenin by any measure.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fabien-duveau-menais-saumur-champigny-rouge","title":"Fabien Duveau Les Menais Saumur Champigny Rouge 2022","description":"","brand":"VINTAGE AND VINE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51397402853686,"sku":"17845","price":52.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0270\/4054\/6861\/files\/Photoroom-20241221_161451_25.png?v=1754977395"},{"product_id":"fabien-duveau-bas-poyeux-saumur-champigny-rouge","title":"Fabien Duveau Bas Poyeux Saumur-Champigny Rouge 2022","description":"","brand":"VINTAGE AND VINE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52504881725750,"sku":"18216","price":78.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0270\/4054\/6861\/files\/Photoroom-20250806_170933_12.png?v=1754977395"},{"product_id":"fabien-duveau-hunaudiere-saumur-blanc-2024","title":"Fabien Duveau Hunaudiere Saumur Blanc 2024","description":"","brand":"VINTAGE AND VINE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53866050552118,"sku":null,"price":59.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0270\/4054\/6861\/files\/PXL_20260401_081941249-Photoroom.png?v=1775033706"}],"url":"https:\/\/acellars.com.au\/collections\/fabien-duveau.oembed","provider":"Annandale Cellars","version":"1.0","type":"link"}