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Damien Laureau

Having been born into a Versailles family concerned with farming but not viticulture, Damien Laureau left home bound for Angers in the mid-1990s, in order to take up some work with his uncle Jean-Louis Laureau. Jean-Louis was a pear farmer who also owned a small vineyard, and the together the two established a small domaine which they christened Clos Frémur. The wines were bottled under the Anjou appellation, and these early experiences proved to be the spark that ignited Damien's viticultural ambitions. Despite having no formal training Damien embarked on a career making wine, and the purchase of a significant area of vines within the Savennières appellation in 1999 was the first step in establishing his own domaine, independent of his uncle. Further acquisitions followed, and he and his uncle parted company in 2007; today Damien has sole control over a handsome domaine, focused solely on Savennières, accounting for more than 7 hectares of the appellation. He moved out of his uncle's premises into a purpose-built winemaking facility in Epiré erected in 1994, which he purchased from Emile Benon - a retired Savennières vigneron - in 2007. And, most significantly, through the sheer polish and quality of the wines he makes, he has established himself as one of the go-to names in the appellation.

The Vineyards

These 7 hectares of vines are dispersed across several sites in the Savennières appellation, although most are concentrated within the Moulin de Beaupréau lieu-dit, the site of Damien's first significant foray into Savennières. These vines lie close to those of the Clos de Grand Beaupréau (which is not really a clos, but a section of the Moulin vineyard) owned by Claude Papin, Yves Guégniard and Vincent Ogereau, which is perhaps not surprising as the source of these vines was very similar. Much of this land was once owned by Baron Brincard of Château de la Bizolière, and in some cases it still is - many famous names associated with the Savennières appellation do not own the land they farm, but in fact rent it from the Baron. In the case of Damien's acquisition, his impressive 5.5-hectare chunk of the Moulin de Beaupréau - by far the largest individual holding within this particular lieu-dit - is rented from Baron Brincard's sister. He took on the land (complete with vines, which were planted in 1990) in 1999.

Thus the Moulin de Beaupréau forms the nucleus of this domaine, but there is also a notable if rather small parcel of vines within the cru Roches-aux-Moines. This is also rented land, this time from Baron Brincard himself, the vines here previously exploited by Pierre Soulez of Château de Chamboureau. In 2004, as Pierre readied for retirement (the Chamboureau estate itself was ultimately absorbed into Philippe Fournier's Domaine FL), he relinquished his hold on rented vines within the Roches-aux-Moines cru. As these were free to be rented anew, Damien was one of a handful of vignerons (the others being Claude Papin, Claude Branchereau and Eric Morgat) who took advantage of this newly available land. Damien shouldered a tiny 0.25-hectare commitment, a small plot but nevertheless an important stake in one of the appellation's top sites.

Having added the Roches-aux-Moines vines to the domaine, Damien has not failed to augment his small holding of vineyards by renting other plots, as and when they become available. In 2007 he acquired a 1.3-hectare parcel of rhyolite soils within the Chambourcier lieu-dit, a relatively small plot adjacent to the vineyards of Château de Chamboureau. After acquiring this plot Damien blended its produce into his Le Bel Ouvrage cuvée, unsurprising as 2007 and 2008 were both low-yield years, but there is always the possibility that he may bottle the wine from this distinctive terroir separately. And in 2010 he also took hold of a 2-hectare lieu-dit at the western edge of the Roches-aux-Moines vineyards named Les Petites-Coulées. A west-facing site of steeply-sloping terraced purple schist, this is an impressive site which will no doubt make a strong addition to the Laureau portfolio. Damien is already a significant name in Savennières, as the wines that he produces from these vines are among the best in the appellation, but with his new vineyard acquisitions we can look forward to further exciting developments here.

Viticulture

Ask Damien which of these elements of winemaking - vineyard or cellar - is most important and he will most certainly confirm that it is the former. "In the cave it is very simple, in the vines it is very complex", he told me when I tasted with him in early 2011. His work in the vineyard has long been organic, although it is only recently that he has sought official certification of his practises. He has oats, clover and other greenery planted between the rows, feeling this benefits the soil, bringing life and breaking up the soil structure, and when the soil is worked over the oats act as a natural fertiliser. He practises some leaf-thinning as the season progresses, to improve exposure of the developing fruit to the sun, and there may also be limited green-harvesting to control bunch numbers and eventual yields. A typical figure for yield across the whole domaine would be about 28 hl/ha, although in less favourable vintages this can be much lower, such as 2007 and 2008, which saw just 17 hl/ha and 8 hl/ha respectively.

The Wines of Damien Laureau

Come harvest time, like many producers in the appellation Damien and his team pass through the vines picking according to ripeness, but Damien adds another layer of complexity here, sorting the grapes according to terroir of origin. He began this in 2007 and has continued in subsequent vintages, and thus Damien's two principal cuvées give a rare glimpse into the terroirs of the Savennières appellation which, although dominated by schist, has a complex diversity of soil types. Damien makes a fairly broad division, with fruit sourced from more sandy-silty soils destined for Les Genets, an earlier-drinking cuvée, whereas that from schist gives a much firmer, longer-lived wine named Le Bel Ouvrage. His Roches-aux-Moines vines, however, are destined for their own dedicated cuvée, so there are just three wines from Damien in current vintages. With recent new investments and the acquisition of new vines, this may of course change in the future.

The vinification is conservative, with fermentation by indigenous yeast and a very controlled use of sulphur. Each cuvée then sees an eighteen-month élevage, with Les Genets largely held in fibreglass vat for the entire period, with just 10% remaining in barrel, whereas Le Bel Ouvrage will see a year in barrel and then at least six months in fibreglass cuve. During the first year in barrel there is no bâtonnage, as Damien consider this an artificial method of enriching the wine, something which he feels should be achieved in the vineyard rather than the cellar. The wines are subsequently racked into vat leaving most but not all the lees behind in the barrels, which are then put to use for the subsequent vintage of Le Bel Ouvrage (the barrels, not the lees!). As far as style goes, Damien has a certain flexibility. Ideally I think he would like high quality fruit (who wouldn't) and a dry cuvée, but sometimes the vintage dictates otherwise. In 2007, for example, a proportion of botrytised fruit was included in the blend, a reflection of the tribulations of the vintage rather than being indicative of any winemaking philosophy. And the eventual residual sugar depends again very much on the fruit and the energy of the yeasts. The finished wines are bottled under natural cork, and may undergo a filtration to remove residual yeasts if Damien feels there is a possibility of refermentation.

The style here is firmly in the modern camp; Damien may only have limited use of wood, focused on Le Bel Ouvrage and for one year only, but its presence is undeniable. Nevertheless, the wines are engendered with a silvery, smoky, weathered-teak sensation rather than the less harmonious notes of honey and wood-tannin that might first come to mind when thinking of oak in this appellation; this silvery-teak sensation is one that comes with some of the very best examples of modern Savennières, and Damien Laureau is one of its greatest exponents. In addition, he was one of the early advocates of malolactic fermentation within the appellation, another feature of his winemaking that puts him in the modern camp. Perhaps more important than any attempt to pigeonhole, however, is an awareness that here we have on of the greatest domaines of the appellation, one that is well worth seeking out. I find Laureau's wines adorable, and will certainly be returning to them to taste and drink in the future. (21/6/11)

Contact details:
Address: Chemin du Grand Hamé, 49170 Savennières
Telephone: +33 (0) 9 64 37 02 57
Fax: +33 (0) 2 41 72 87 39
Internet: www.damien-laureau.fr

Damien Laureau - Tasting Notes

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Damien Laureau Savennières Les Genets 2009: A sample from cuve. Aromatically a very fresh, clean, polished style, showing purity and great harmony. There are notes of pear fruit, with a slightly honeyed tinge, elegantly presented, and suggestive of some good substance within. I find it very stylish on the palate, pure, defined, quite linear but with beautifully polished and softened edges. This lies a gentle and refined structure underneath though. Very approachable on the palate, the finesse being very accessible, but there is still a fine extracted substance and grip to it. A beautiful style, with lovely depth. 18/20 (January 2011)

Damien Laureau Savennières Le Bel Ouvrage 2009: A sample from cuve. Clearly an oaked cuvée though, as this element of the wine brings a smoky, honeyed, more deeply grained quality to the nose here. There is a lovely depth to the palate, the wine showing a very smoky, honeyed, gritty style, and the wood works very harmoniously with the fruit here. Overall, a very attractive, elegant, polished substance, with fine acidity and grip to it. It is undeniably beautifully composed although on this assessment I have a very slight preference for the style of Les Genets. But given appropriate time in the cellar, for the integration of the oak, this could be a stunner. 18+/20 (January 2011)

Damien Laureau Savennières Roches-aux-Moines 2009: This wine seems much more youthful than Les Genets and Le Bel Ouvrage at this moment, showing much more primary fruit here, with an apple and pear fruit character. A little cloudy in the glass. On the palate it shows its true quality though, the wine showing a very relaxed and polished fruit centre, cut through at various angles by a beautiful, multifaceted acidity with a fine, crystalline character. This has superb definition, the substance of the wine just rolling all around the mouth, revealing a fine and expressive composition as it does so. Excellent wine. 18.5+/20 (January 2011)

Damien Laureau Savennières Le Bel Ouvrage 2008: This tasting shows the value of an extra year of bottle age on this oak-focused cuvée. There is evident and quite beautiful fruit expression here, showing some honey and crystalline quartz-laced fruit, and all this comes through on the palate as well as the nose. It has a slightly softer, more relaxed style than the 2009s just tasted, but it is still correctly defined, showing a lovely acid cut, and a fine, well-framed finish. And it is long too. Overall, elegant, fresh and very finely presented. 17.5/20 (January 2011)

Damien Laureau Savennières Le Bel Ouvrage 2007: This vintage has a rather more savoury character on the nose compared with the preceding, younger wines. It possesses a very smoky style, full of crunchy golden fruit character presented within a sweetly defined, quartzy frame. A very polished and fine style, composed, relaxed, perhaps showing a little more fat than the 2008 on the palate, more substance and body, also rather more grip and acidity underpinning it all as well. Overall, very appealing, but if you have any in the cellar I would suggest it needs a few years of slumber yet. 18+/20 (January 2011)