Damien Laureau, 2022 Update
Damien Laureau (pictured) is one of four or five vignerons who today define what the Savennières and Savennières Roche-aux-Moines appellations are capable of. He has long been a leader, in terms of the sheer quality of his wine, in both appellations. Today he is joined at the top of the tree by a number of his peers, including Tessa Laroche, Thibaud Boudignon and Eric Morgat (among others, although not many others), all of which is good for sensible Savennières drinkers like you and me. To be frank, I don’t think there has ever been a better time to get into Savennières; those working at the top tier of the appellation are on a roll.
I last visited Damien late in 2020, during one of a small number of visits I made to France during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the focus was more about avoiding infection than exploring vineyards. My prime purpose for visiting was of course to deal with my house south of Chinon, which was in need of attention, but wanting to keep up with him and his work, and his latest releases, I managed to squeeze in a flying visit. On this more recent, rather more sedate and mask-free occasion, however, Damien and I met up in Angers.
The Wines
As often seems to be the case, Damien poured a scattergun selection; there were five wines, and five different cuvées, spanning three vintages. We started with the 2020 L’Alliance, Which I have previously tasted in the inaugural 2019 vintage, and which I think is a really smart addition to the portfolio. Rather like Tessa Laroche’s Berceau des Fées cuvée it takes the fruit of young vines, in Damien’s case from recently planted sections in two parcels. Floral on the nose, soft and supple on the palate, it works very well, but it does speak of the age of the vines.
