Damien Laureau, 2019 Update
While much of the admiration in the Savennières universe remains directed towards the wines of a certain cult domaine, other vignerons continue to fly under the radar. Damien Laureau makes some of the best wines in the appellation, indeed I would not argue with anyone who claimed he made the very best wines. There are contenders that could these days be ranked alongside him – names such as Tessa Laroche and Eric Morgat spring to mind, as well as one or two others – but nobody could dissuade me from awarding Damien his place on the top tier.
I knew the name of Damien Laureau by reputation for a long time before I managed to track him and his wines down. That was quite a few years ago now; since that time I have been successful in meeting up with Damien (pictured) most years, to taste his latest releases, and occasionally an older vintage too. On this most recent encounter Damien poured four wines from his portfolio.
The Wines
Kicking off with the 2018 La Petite Roche, this is an attractive entry-level cuvée which Damien says finances the élevage of the grander wines. While pretty enough, it is always worth spending up here for one of his superior cuvées such as Les Genêts or Le Bel Ouvrage. The 2016 Les Genêts, from schist, one step up from La Petite Roche, showed better than I expected, a wine that deftly carries grip and substance with a reductive energy. From among the recent releases, however, I was swept away with the 2015 Le Bel Ouvrage, a stunning wine from what is clearly a great vintage for Damien and for the top terroirs of Savennières.
