2022 Isabelle Suire, Saumur Blanc Loire, France
$22.99
Isabelle Suire is a 4th generation vigneronne. Her great-grandfather was a vineyard worker in the in Berrie, a village south of Saumur in the Deux Sevres region. However, the family’s domaine really started when his son married Isabelle’s grandmother, whose family owned vineyards in Berrie as a facet of their polyculture farm. Together they cultivated the vines, bred animals, and farmed grains. As time went by, the family decided to focus solely on viticulture and sold off the other land.
Isabelle took over in 2007, and by 2021 she became the president of Saumur’s white wine association, where she met Romain Guiberteau – the president of the Saumur reds. Romain helped to confirm her desire to convert to organic viticulture after having already worked at two biodynamic domaines in the region (Château de la Tour Grise and Domaine de la Garrelière).
2023 marked the first year of transition to organics (certified expected in 2026) along with a bevy of other improvements in the vineyards: cover crops in humid vintages, increasing organic matter using local cow manure from a neighboring farm, and parcel-by-parcel canopy management improvements, including higher trellising. To further improve the health of her soils, she has hired the biodynamic guru Michel Chevré (ex-vineyard manager for Thierry Germain and vigneron at Clos de L’Ecotard), as a consultant.
-From the importer
Specs
- Country France
- Region Loire Valley
- Appellation Saumur
- Style White Wine
- Producer Isabelle Suire
- Farming Practices Organic
- Grapes Chenin Blanc
- Food Pairings Stinky Cheese, Roast White Meats, White Sauce, Fried Food
- Characteristics Flexes w/ Food, Big Power