Arnaud Lambert, Crémant De Loire Blanc, Brézé, Loire Valley, France NV

75% Chenin Blanc, 25% Chardonnay

Certified organic. The grapes were planted in 1990. The wine is vinified with indigenous yeast and ages for 24 months, 12 months on the lees.

Arnaud Lambert strives for consistent methods in the cellar, so that each individual terroir is what shines through. Only the traditional Champagne methods for the crémants, which are grown on the estate’s chalkiest soils and can hold their own against some of the great, classic Champagnes.

Lambert is helping to drive a revolutionary movement in the appellations of Saumur and Saumur-Champigny. The goal is to re-discover each individual terroir and its potential through organic viticulture and less-is-more, precise winemaking. This is particularly important considering 70% of the surface area in Brézé and Saint Cyr belongs to the cooperatives, where branding and blending prevail, and mass-produced crémants dominate.

Brézé is a unique site due to its relatively high elevation and eminently nuanced geological profile. The significant presence of tuffeau, (a porous, chalky limestone also used in the construction of much of the Loire’s Renaissance architecture) results in finely mineral Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Clay and sand also lend themselves to the diversity of the terroirs, giving body to the reds and richness to the whites. Arnaud’s driving ambition is to truly understand and reveal the distinctions within this extraordinary appellation.