Frantz Saumon, 2013 Update
It is always a pleasure to catch up with Frantz Saumon, this ex-forestier who returned to his native France from Quebec, switching his attention from the tree to the vine in the process. He is based on the very northern edge of the Montlouis plateau, just around the corner from François Chidaine and Jacky Blot. The domaine is small, about 6 hectares last time I checked, as Frantz (pictured) has no desire to achieve Montlouis domination. He runs it on entirely organic lines, and is interested in keeping a very ‘hands-on’ approach; 6 hectares, he finds, is about the limit of what he can manage.
There are two sides to the Saumon business, the wines from his own vineyards, which are planted principally with Chenin Blanc and which qualify for the Montlouis-sur-Loire appellation (although there is a small proportion of the domaine dedicated to other varieties), as well as a négociant arm which goes by the name of Un Saumon dans la Loire. Although these latter wines can be interesting, as indicated below, I think it is within the Montlouis-sur-Loire appellation that Frantz performs best.
The Wines
I kicked off here looking at two wines from the 2012 vintage; this was a difficult growing season for the Loire Valley, with most appellations downstream of Sancerre suffering to one degree or another, although the outcome varies according to the varieties planted and the style aimed for. Generalising, Anjou and Tourane came off worst. This was certainly true in Frantz’s case, as he lost 50% of his crop to the vagaries of the vintage, with rot reportedly the greatest culprit here. There was certainly no suggestion of this in the two wines though; having said that the 2012 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc was rather varietal in character, straightforward and not hugely appealing on this basis. By contrast, the 2012 Chardonnay Pet’ Nat’ was simply delicious.
