This is 100% Chenin Blanc, grown on the calcareous soils in and around Brézé. More precisely, it comes from younger vines in Clos de Guichaux and Clos des Carmes, as well as some old vines from the Bas de Pentes terroir of Brézé. Then, there is a splash of Les Chapaudaises from Bizay. As any Saumurois will tell you, these terroirs are some of the crown jewels (particularly Clos des Carmes, which sits on the chalky mother rock of the Brézé hill, just below the Château de Brézé). The plantings range from 1935 to 2012, so this wine has plenty of old-vine stuffing. With all this in mind, perhaps the quality shouldn’t come as a surprise.
All Guiberteau’s whites are pressed as bunches and ferment with indigenous yeasts. Historically, this wine has been vinified entirely in tank, although more recent vintages have been partly aged in tronconique oak and used barrels to broaden the textural range and mitigate reduction. The 2022 did not go through malolactic conversion. It strikes the palate with laser-guided confit lemon and kaffir lime, with mouthwatering acidity cutting through the wine’s sleek texture like a hot knife through butter. Closing with the quivering, chalky length typical of the region’s top whites, it’s a thrilling Saumur blanc; we bought every bottle we could. Lovers of fine Riesling and white Burgundy should jump on this.