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Clos de l’Écotard Saumur Les Quarts Saint-Vincent 2017

Clos de l’Écotard is a domaine I have watched from afar for too long, eager to add a profile to Winedoctor. I have encountered the wines on and off, and have frequently been impressed. And I tasted some recent releases with Thibaud Chevré a year or two ago, but I never had the opportunity to visit to check out the vineyards and cellars.

Happily that opportunity finally came a few months ago – I spent the best part of the day touring a variety of parcels before tasting in the cellars with Thibaud – so I can confirm there is a profile coming down the pipeline (I know, I know – it’s a very broad and long pipeline, of colossal capacity – you simply would not believe how much is crammed in there). In the meantime I thought, as I haven’t featured any bulles in my Weekend Wine slot for quite some time, I would kick off with the domaine’s only sparkling wine.

Clos de l’Écotard, for the uninitiated, is a relatively new domaine in Saumur, one perhaps better known in France than it is beyond its borders. Only a few years ago the domaine was nothing more than a few parcels of vines which had been handed down to Michel Chevré, who spent his days working with Thierry Germain at Domaine des Roches Neuves. One of the wines they worked on together was the Bulles de Roche, a non-vintage blend dominated by Chenin Blanc, with a soupçon of Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay; it is a cuvée which also once appeared on these pages as a Weekend Wine, a shocking thirteen years ago. Where does the time go? Into the Winedoctor pipeline, never to be seen again, perhaps.

Clos de l'Écotard Saumur Les Quarts Saint-Vincent 2017

When he wasn’t working with Thierry, Michel Chevré set about augmenting his diminutive vineyard, although it remained a small-scale side-grift. It is only with the arrival of his son Thibaud Chevré that the domaine has really taken off; they have acquired several more parcels of vines, and even though it is only a handful of hectares it is a significant expansion for what was a tiny domaine. The cellars, in Courchamps, south-west of Saumur itself, are being expanded to match, and revitalised with new equipment and new barrels.

The domaine’s sparkling wine is sourced from a single parcel named Les Quarts Saint-Vincent, which is located some way from the domaine, between the town of Varrains and the course of the Loire. The vines are 100% Chenin Blanc, of course, their roots digging into the clay-limestone soils which typify the region. The fruit for the 2017 vintage was picked on September 15th, pressed and the first fermentation conducted in oak foudres, after which the young wine was left to rest on the lees for nine months. It then went into bottle for the prise de mousse (the second fermentation) in June 2018, where it remained until the disgorgement of 1008 bottles (including this one) in December 2021, an impressive 42 months sur lattes. Some bottles were disgorged earlier though, and some later; for more exact details, the very informative back label tells you all you need to know. It had no dosage; I assume (I confess I forgot to ask Thibaud) that it was topped up with the same wine.

In the glass the 2017 Saumur Les Quarts Saint-Vincent  from Clos de l’Écotard displays an attractive pale straw hue, as well as a vigorous and youthful bead. The aromatics are full-on, combining peach and apple richness with more taut suggestions of orange peel and crushed minerals, with an almost sour and bright edge, suggesting a much firmer poise than I recall from tasting at the domaine a few months ago. This continues on the palate, the orange peel and crushed chalk flavours wrapped up in a bright, acid-carved, tightly defined profile though the middle, giving it a juicy, sappy and mouth-watering poise. This feels more awkward than it did when tasted last year, but it brims with potential for development. If you have a few bottles, consider popping them away in the cellar for a few years in the hope they gain a little more integration. If you don’t have any, well, I suggest you rectify that situation immediately! The alcohol on the label is 13%. 93/100 (3/7/23)

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