Tasting Notes
100% Cabernet Franc. Les Arboises is a subsection of the limestone-dominant Brézé hill. This is Guiberteau’s top red from a renowned red terroir. The monopole parcel was planted in 1957 on a very rocky, chalky site, and produces super-graceful and mineral expressions of Saumur. The fruit was fully destemmed and naturally fermented in concrete before resting for 18 months in a mixture of new, one, two, and three-year-old barrels. Guiberteau ages this cuvée for longer than his other reds, both in barrel and bottle, feeling this site’s more angular tannins require extra refinement.
As good as Les Chapaudaises is, this takes it to a whole new level: it’s emblematic of the style, structure, and resonant depth of this producer’s boundary-pushing reds. We tasted two vintages side-by-side: the upcoming 2019 is a deeply impressive wine, all pent-up flint and fruit and polished tannin; while the 2018 is the more alluring and inviting in style. Guiberteau is using just one-fifth new oak these days (early releases used closer to 50%) and the warmth of 2018 has worked wonders on curving out the site’s limestone tannins. The result is a pure, aromatic and succulent Arboises, full of classy, glowing fruit, a stiffening line of tension and a focussed and finely drawn close. Think cru-level Burgundy before Bourgueil! - Importer Note
Domaine Guiberteau has rapidly ascended to cult status in the Loire Valley, producing some of the region’s most thrilling expressions of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Based in Saumur, the domaine is centred on old vines planted in the Brézé area, a terroir long regarded as one of the Loire’s greatest for Chenin Blanc. The vineyards sit on chalky tuffeau limestone with clay and sand topsoils, yielding wines of striking tension, depth and longevity.
The domaine’s history dates back to the early 20th century, but its modern renaissance began in the late 1990s when Romain Guiberteau returned to take over from his grandfather. With guidance from Clos Rougeard’s Nady Foucault, he embraced organic viticulture, rigorous vineyard selection, and a philosophy of minimal intervention in the cellar. Today, Guiberteau farms around 9 hectares, all certified organic, with a focus on low yields and precision.
His range spans from the vibrant and saline Saumur Blanc and Saumur Rouge, to single-vineyard bottlings such as Clos de Guichaux, Les Arboises and the legendary Brézé, each reflecting the nuances of their specific sites. The whites are crystalline and mineral, often compared to great white Burgundy, while the reds show Cabernet Franc at its most refined, combining perfume, texture and intensity.
Domaine Guiberteau has become a touchstone for the new generation of Loire growers: a domaine that delivers wines of both immediate drinkability and profound cellar potential, with authenticity and terroir at their core.
| Product Type | Wine Red Cabernet Franc |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Loire Valley |
| Sub Region | Saumur |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |