Antoine Sanzay

Varrains, Loire Valley

Antoine Sanzay is one of the most respected producers in Saumur-Champigny today, the finest appellation in the Loire Valley for Cabernet Franc, and among followers of natural wines he is one of the Loire’s rock stars.

A 6th generation winegrower, upon completion of his wine studies in 1999 he took over the farming. With the encouragement of local mentors, including Romain Guiberteau and Nady Foucault (Clos Rougeard), Antoine slowly began keeping fruit back from the local coop for his own production from 2002. By 2014 he retained the entire production to satisfy the growing demand for his wines. Antoine worked at Clos Rougeard during his early years of wine training.

The domaine comprises of 11.40 hectares of vines - 1.1 ha of Chenin Blanc in Saumur and 10.3 ha of Cabernet Franc in Saumur-Champigny, which includes a whopping 4 hectares of Les Poyeux, the vineyard made famous by Clos Rougeard. He also has a small amount of Saumur Blanc from the famous Brezé vineyard. Antoine moved the domaine over to organic farming in 2009 and was recently certified. He also uses some biodynamic practices. The grapes are hand harvested into 25 kilo crates before being transported to the winery for sorting and processing.

Perhaps it is the winemaking that most clearly distinguishes Antoine from other producers in his appellations. He works very close to nature in the cellar adding no yeast, no temperature control and sulphur at a minimum just before bottling, like many in the Loire. However, it is his fermentation philosophies that really set him apart. Antoine is inspired by great burgundies, more than any other wine in France. So in his white he seeks lees reduction like the great wines of Meursault and Puligny and in the reds he wants “infusion” rather than extraction during the ferment. The results are spectacular with a Saumur Blanc that encompasses all the best elements of great Chenin Blanc and adds yet another layer of Burgundian complexity. The reds are strikingly pure, finely structured with enough silky tannins to build as they age but deliciously enjoyable now; at times they resemble great Pinot Noir. Antoine’s wines represent some of the best wines produced in the whole of the Loire today.