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Antoine Sanzay Update, February 2010

The most delightful discovery of the Salon in 2009 was without doubt Antoine Sanzay, a young vigneron turning out stylish and elegant wines from about 11 hectares of vineyards in the Saumur-Champigny appellation. The timing of the discovery seemed particularly apt; his holding includes vines in Les Poyeux, a vineyard which seems to engender a wonderful, silky elegance typical of the very best Champignys. And, as the wines of Clos Rougeard (which also include a Les Poyeux cuvée) become increasingly hard to source, not to mention increasingly expensive, an alternative source of similar wine is naturally very welcome. So it is only natural that when I returned to the Salon in 2010 I was determined to make a return visit to Antoine Sanzay, to revisit the 2008s and also to grab a first taste of his 2009 vintage.

The top cuvée here is sourced from old vines in Les Poyeux, although the wine in question was christened L'Expression up to and including the 2007 vintage. From the 2008 vintage it is named for the lieu-dit instead, and this vintage as well as the 2009 were tasted here. The older of these two was just stunning, a wine I tasted last year and clearly underestimated; this year it was beautifully open and aromatic, packed with flavour, and yet still with that elegantly refined structure that marks it out as so superior. Its old 'expressive' name would have still been very apt (although I do favour naming wines for their origins if truth be told). The more recent vintage was also sublime, although this is still a youngster, having only just made the move into oak in the past week. Looking at how this ranks against the 2008, and taking into consideration the overall quality found in 2009, I do wonder if I haven't underestimated this vintage also.

The two entry-level Champignys were also very good, although again I showed a slight preference for the 2008 vintage, although this wine is finished whereas the 2009 is not yet bottled. I suspect the 2009 Saumur-Champigny, like its Les Poyeux sibling, may show better next year. Looking beyond the red wines it should be acknowledged that Sanzay turns out a very good white Saumur as well; although the 2007 had that rather papery character that you can find in young Chenin and which doesn't really appeal to me, the 2008 and 2009 both had much more attractive personae, the aromas and flavours dominated more by minerals, honey and stone, spiced with sea breezes and importantly a fine tension underpinning it all, especially in the 2008.

Overall Antoine Sanzay remains a source of great wines, sadly not available in the UK at the time of writing, although visitors to the region should certainly be able to visit and buy, and those not fortunate to find themselves in the proximity of Varrains, where Sanzay is based, should have no difficulty in sourcing the wines through any of the European merchants who provide international delivery. (12/8/10)

Antoine Sanzay, February 2010 - Tasting Notes

The wines below were tasted in Angers at the Salon des Vins de Loire in February 2010. All my notes on the wines of Antoine Sanzay, including those below, are collated under my Antoine Sanzay profile. Click to locate stockists.