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Frantz Saumon

A couple of years ago I was sauntering from table to table at Nicolas Joly's annual natural wine-fest once known as Renaissance des Appellations but - as so many natural winemakers also tend to eschew appellation blessing - more recently christened as a simple Dégustation des Vins. I was on the lookout for a few new wines to try, from vignerons with whom I was less familiar than older fiends such as Pithon-Paillé, François Chidaine or Domaine de Bellivière, all of whom also show their wines at Joly's tasting. It was then that I happened across the wines of Frantz Saumon, and I was particularly intrigued by one of the wines, named Minérale+. Being a natural cynic I am afraid I approached the wine with a sceptical bent; after all, if your wine is really minerally, then you don't need to shout it out from the label, do you? Once I had lifted the wine to my lips, however, and taken my first taste, all sense of doubt and cynicism soon faded away. This was minerally, and balanced too, and very bright and attractive with it. Tasting through the other wines on the table, I soon realised that they were, across the range, very good.

Chatting with the young bearded man pouring the wines I soon realised that this wasn't Frantz Saumon; this was merely a friend of his, helping out while Frantz was busy elsewhere. As a result, it was another year before I met Frantz himself, and also another year before I had the opportunity to taste through some more of his wines. They were just as convincing as the year before. And now, with Frantz pouring the wines, I at last had a chance to find out a little more about him and his domaine.

There is a common theme in the rejuvenation of the Montlouis appellation in the early 21st century, and that is the arrival of new blood without any family history of viticulture. As with Lise and Bertrand Jousset and Xavier Weisskopf, Frantz is not from winemaking stock, and indeed he pursued a career in forestry in Canada before returning home to France to take up the care of the vine rather than the tree. One driving force behind this move was a building frustration with the time taken - usually decades or indeed centuries - to see his labours bear fruit. He decided that he would much rather tend for the vine, where it can take 'only' a year for the results of your labours to be seen and indeed harvested and tasted.

The Saumon Vineyards & Wines

Frantz returned to France in the mid-1990s and acquired his first 3 hectares of vineyards in 2001, and with subsequent acquisitions his domaine now stands at about 6 hectares, 5.5 hectares of white varieties (mainly Chenin Blanc) and 0.5 hectares of red. That the domaine remains so small reflects Frantz's 'hands on' philosophy; he likes to work in the vineyards himself, and so maintaining a self-imposed limit on the area committed to vine makes the amount of work manageable. Nevertheless this does mean Frantz spends much of the day in the vineyard, such as the time I tried to get in touch with Frantz to arrange a visit in 2010. I found it impossible to make contact; I later learnt from his friend Richard Leroy that, consequent upon stormy weather and his vines having suffered some damage, Frantz was out amongst the vines from dawn 'til dusk, repairing and pruning as required. No wonder he was incommunicado!

Of all his vines, half lie close to his property, which sits on the Chemin des Cours, half-way along a roughly-surfaced side road just off La Grande Rue in Husseau. This is at the foot of the slopes that run up to the famed plateau behind, and just around the corner from where Frantz is located are other Montlouis luminaries such as François Chidaine and Jacky Blot. The other half of Frantz's vineyards are more distant within the appellation, scattered far and wide. Some are in Lussault-sur-Loire, further upriver, some are on Husseau's famous plateau where all the best names are located, and some are downstream near Chapitre, a small hamlet near Montlouis itself.

These broad spread of vines gives Frantz a selection of terroirs to work with, those vines in Lussault planted on sandy clay, and those downstream on clay and limestone (calcaire), other on clay and flint (silex). His vines range in age from 30 to 100 years, and are tended along lines similar to his environmentally-friendly peers; where the soils are heavy he plants grass and other cover crops between the rows, only working the soil beneath the vine itself, whereas where the soils are more easily worked he ploughs, lightly turning the soil beneath the vine. His overall philosophy is organic. He harvests by hand, with a yield ultimately in the order of 30 hl/ha, the fruit picked into buckets.

The Wines of Frantz Saumon

Frantz ferments using only indigenous yeasts, favouring slow fermentations and an élevage sur lie, with a preference for older barrels, typically between one and three years old, although he does buy a little new wood from time to time. His approach to the malolactic fermentation is relaxed, in that it is not actively sought but, should it happen, then he does not actively block it either. Sulphur use is very restricted but certainly not zero, Frantz opting to add a small amount at the time of bottling. Largely this occurs in spring, to "keep hold of the tension" says Frantz, with only the Clos du Chêne being held back.

The most iconic and memorable wine is Minérale+, a sec-tendre cuvée with very tense minerally tones, as my introduction suggested. It is sourced from vines in Lussault and joined by fruit that once went into his now defunct P'tit Caporal cuvée (since the 2008 vintage), and thus it is a blend of different terroirs from across the appellation, taking in sand, clay, flint and limestone soils. As you might tell from my opening comments above, I find it an impressive wine, although it is bottled in a no-fuss manner after a short élevage, usually during the spring after the vintage.

This is the only single-vineyard cuvée in the Saumon portfolio. Typically a sec wine, Le Clos du Chêne comes from old vines, aged between 80 and 100, the average age closer to the latter than the former. Despite the joy I find in Minérale+ it is this cuvée that should perhaps by considered Frantz's flagship wine, and as such it is held back in wood for about 15 months before bottling.

From around the little hamlet of Chapitre there are vines which yield the fruit for a cuvée of the same name, a vin moelleux. It is only produced in those vintages where conditions favour it, and for Frantz that means only three years since he took up the running of the estate. His first vintage was 2003, followed by 2005 and most recently 2009. It typically carries around 60 g/l of residual sugar and has plenty of balancing acidity, so it is a fresh and lifted rather than intense or liquoreux style.

There is also an interesting pétillant natural cuvée made purely from Gamay and sealed with a crown cap, clearly a wine intended for drinking young. And he also has a range of négoce wines which he manages under the banner Un Saumon dans La Loire. The range is small and may vary from year to year, but it focuses on early-drinking Gamay and Menu Pineau, but Romorantin has also made an appearance, and he even produced a négoce Vouvray in the 2009 vintage. One of the most popular of all this cuvées is the pétillant natural La Petite Gaule du Matin. I'll leave it to you to work out what la petite gaule du matin refers to.

Drinking and Tasting

Once a run-down has-been, the Montlouis appellation is now exciting and dynamic. Part of this reinvigoration of the appellation is down  to the presence of the quiet and determined Frantz Saumon. Whereas his pét-nat cuvée does not induce any great desire in me, the Montlouis cuvées, in particular the Minérale+, are very special wines that deserve a place in any cellar. Especially mine, and I hope you realise by now that I put my money where my mouth is on statements like that. (27/10/11)

Contact details:
Address: 15 Chemin des Cours, Husseau, 37270 Montlouis-sur-Loire
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 47 35 83 65
GPS: 47.392931, 0.885461

Frantz Saumon - Tasting Notes

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Frantz Saumon Montlouis Le Clos du Chêne 2009: Only just bottled last week. Sourced solely from old vines, between 80 and 100 years of age, in the Clos du Chêne, a lieu-dit with an argilo-silex terroir. Quite a green-tinged hue. The residual sugar is 2.3 g/l. It spends 15 months in oak, including new oak which doesn't mark the wine according to Frantz. On that point I would have to disagree, as I find a seam of polished oak on the nose, with a crisp seam of fruit. The palate has a good structure, very mineral, very fresh, these elements doing much to cut through the admittedly minimal oak influence here. A good structure to it, and a good spicy finish too. The oak shows as grip rather than flavour, lending it a substantial feel. Impressive, restrained, dry character, with plenty of minerality. A lovely wine, but it needs time to absorb the oak. 17/20 (January 2011)

Frantz Saumon Montlouis Minérale+ 2009: This cuvée comes from a blend of different terroirs, including argilo-calcaire, argilo-silex and more sandy soils as well. It is vinified in mix of vessels. Bottled during the spring following the vintage, this has 8 g/l residual sugar. More of a beeswax and polished, golden fruit character on the nose here, and it has a floral element too. A fine, lightly crunchy edge to the fruit. The palate has a soft and very flattering entry, a very stylish form, with good substance; it is fresh, mineral and bright, with great acidity at its core. That beeswax character is still quite evident here as well. A firm finish. Overall, impressive. 17.5/20 (January 2011)

Frantz Saumon Montlouis Minérale+ 2009: This is a demi-sec, rich in aromatic fruit, heady with scents of pear, stylish, youthful with lots of potential. The palate shows some vibrant acidity cutting through a gentle substance, with quite a dry feel despite that demi-sec status. Great flesh, rolling into some beautiful pear fruit in the finish. This lingers very nicely in the end and I think it has really fine potential. 17-18+/20 (February 2010)

Frantz Saumon Montlouis Le Chapitre 2009: This moelleux cuvée comes from the Chapitre lieu-dit. This is also bottled during the spring following the vintage. The residual sugar is 60 g/l. I find a more honeyed nose here, but with a very firm, stony style behind it. It has a lovely palate, very supple and flattering, fresh and fleshy. It has a finely poised palate, with a vibrant acid and mineral core, and a very considerable tension to the fruit. Defined and exciting, with a fine honeyed element behind, but the key to this wine is its vigorous mineral-acid structure which supports the sweetness of the fruit. Wonderful stuff. 18/20 (January 2011)

Frantz Saumon Montlouis Gamay (Vin de Table) NV: Officially non-vintage, but most probably the 2009 vintage. Bottled under a crown cap. Aromatically it has pretty fruit, fairly solid rather than elegant, although it seems fresh and a touch more delicate on the palate. In part at least this is due to a seam of fresh acidity giving the wine life. Pretty fruit, fresh and cool, albeit a touch herbal on the edges of its clean, bright, acid core. An attractive wine, but overall straightforward. 14.5/20 (January 2011)

Frantz Saumon Montlouis Le Clos du Chêne 2008: A sec style, due to be bottled in March 2010. A fresh and floral nose, clean and delicate and certainly elegant, with nuances of fresh pear fruit and a little creamy edge. The palate is quite fresh, stylish, dry but with good flesh, quite linear, balanced with some vigour. Overall nicely balanced, with lovely style. 16.5+/20 (February 2010)

Frantz Saumon Montlouis Minérale+ 2008: Fresh, restrained, stylish, with delightful floral pear fruit. The palate has a fine structure, a beautifully balanced through the middle, where there is creamy pear, with a fine acidic grip to it too. A wonderful substance, very harmonious but also full and vigorous . Good minerality as well; overall a delicious wine. 17.5+/20 (February 2010)