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Bouvet-Ladubay Saumur Brut Trésor 2023

This week I return to the sparkling wines of the Loire Valley, and a cuvée which – to my considerable surprise – has never appeared in my Weekend Wine slot before now.

This seems like an appropriate moment to put right this oversight. Having been founded in 1851 by Etienne-François Bouvet (1828 – 1908), Bouvet-Ladubay, long established as one of the leading sparkling wine houses in Saumur, celebrates its 175th birthday this year. Marking this occasion I recently tasted my way through a good selection of the current offerings from Bouvet-Ladubay (a tasting report on all the wines I tasted is in the pipeline). The cuvée featured here is just one of them.

The extent of the Bouvet-Ladubay range is considerable, and it starts with the Mademoiselle Ladubay wines aimed at price-sensitive buyers in la grande distribution. These are the sorts of bottles most wine critics would pass over in favour of grander cuvées, but to do so does everyone a disservice as the wines can be delicious (and well priced!). I still have fond memories of the 2005 Mademoiselle Ladubay Brut; after tasting it I returned to my local Super U to clear the shelves. Thereafter the portfolio runs up through a variety of cuvées in both the Saumur and Crémant de Loire appellations to some high-end and rather exclusive cuvées, topped off by the likes of Instinct, Zéro and the classy but rarely seen Ogmius.

Somewhere in the middle of the range sits one of the house’s most iconic wines, one which wins on all counts; high quality in the bottle, a pocket-friendly price and good distribution. This cuvée goes by the name Trésor.

Bouvet-Ladubay Saumur Brut Trésor 2023

The Trésor name harks back to the origin of the Bouvet-Ladubay business.

Born into a winemaking family, Etienne-François Bouvet (1828 – 1908) initially took up teaching as a profession, but soon changed his career path to join Saumur’s original sparkling wine pioneer Jean-Baptiste Ackerman (1790 – 1866). It was Ackerman who brought details of the méthode traditionnelle from Champagne to Saumur. This latter region was ideally suited to the production of sparkling wines, thanks to its cool climate, limestone soils, the versatility of its leading variety, Chenin Blanc, and the availability of cavernous underground spaces perfect for maturing sparkling wine once in the bottle.

In 1851 Etienne Bouvet left this employment to set up independently, and a year later he married Célestine Ladubé, whose family owned land and cellars in nearby Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent – perfect for Etienne’s needs. His new sparkling wine was so popular that Etienne soon became very wealthy, evidence of which is still visible in Saumur today, expressed through the grandeur of many of the Bouvet-Ladubay buildings, including his one-time residence, the Château de Moc-Baril. Jealous and presumably less industrious locals refused to believe that his sparkling wines were the sole source of his success, though, and for many years the myth that Etienne’s wealth flowed from the discovery of treasure deep in the cellars persisted.

And hence, today the firm’s best-known cuvée is Trésor.

First produced in 1987, created by then-proprietor Patrice Monmousseau, Trésor is typically a blend of 85% Chenin Blanc and 15% Chardonnay, the fruit coming from multiple growers – Bouvet-Ladubay does not own any vineyards – and reflects the predominantly limestone and clay-limestone terroirs of the region. After a first fermentation which is conducted partly in oak, the second fermentation takes place in bottle, with a minimum of 24 months sur lattes before disgorgement, and a dosage of about 10 g/l.

In the glass the 2023 Saumur Brut Trésor from Bouvet-Ladubay displays a typically pale straw hue, and a plentiful yet fine bead. The nose is just gorgeous, opening with an array of lightly dried and concentrated fruits, touching on mirabelle, star fruit and a little hint of peach, supported by a crushed-stone suggestion of minerals and a reductive edge. The palate is just as divine as the nose indicates, wrapping all this character up in veins of sweet peach flesh, bitter phenolics and fine acidity, while the mousse gently foams along in the background. Long, savoury, sinewy and mineral in the finish, this is a super Trésor which serves as evidence of the quality coming out of the Bouvet-Ladubay cellars in current times. Drink now and over the next five years. Lot number L26152-04. The alcohol is 12.5% on the label. 93/100

More from Bouvet-Ladubay coming soon, with fresh notes on current vintages of Zéro, Instinct, Ogmius and more. (12/10/26)

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