Domaine des Baumard: Tasting & Drinking
And so before coming to my tasting notes, what of my opinions of the wines of Domaine des Baumard? As anybody who has read all of this profile so far (well done if so!) I hold this domaine in some regard. Historically, it is a very significant one for the region, indeed for the Loire Valley. Its proprietors have played a significant role in shaping wine culture locally and further afield, and they have the ability to reach out to drinkers less familiar with the wines of the Loire Valley through the reliability of their portfolio, and through the admirable volume of production. The domaine acts as an entry-point to two very significant Loire appellations for many. I am fairly certain (although such information is locked in the dim recesses of my memory) that my first ever taste of Quarts de Chaume was with Château Belle-Rive, although Domaine des Baumard was not far behind. Indeed, with such a small appellation the wines are not widely distributed, and I am quite certain that for many years Domaine des Baumard and Château Belle-Rive were the only two examples of Quarts de Chaume tucked away in my cellar.
With Savennières I cannot be so certain when I first encountered the wines, although it certainly goes well back into the early 1990s. And as with the Quarts de Chaume appellation Domaine des Baumard was there, and there was perhaps just one other contender that springs to mind, the wines of Nicolas Joly and the Clos de la Coulée de Serrant. I can think of no other domaine that played such a role in my early Loire education.
