Bodet-Herold & Etienne Bodet

ETIENNE BODET

Etienne Bodet is the fifth generation of his family working on the beautiful Jurassic limestone terroirs they own in Montreuil-Bellay in Saumur where they have been producing both sparkling and still wines for more than a century. His family are not only wine growers for the well known Chateau de la Durandière, his aunt also runs Louis de Grenelle, the largest independent sparkling producer based in the heart of Saumur.

An accomplished oenologist in his own right Etienne has worked with an amazing roll call of producers before striking out on his own in 2020. After early studies in viticulture and oenology, Étienne trained under Sylvain Pataille, whom he regards as a mentor and guiding influence. Further experience at Domaine Bernard Baudry, SICAVAC in Sancerre with François Dal, and later with Aurélien Gerbais in Champagne refined his technical understanding. He worked a stage of 10 months around the 2020 vintage at Domaine Guiberteau (Romain Guiberteau is his godfather) and to top it off, he was on the winemaking team at Clos Rougeard from vintage 2021 through vintage 2023.

In his own vineyards, Étienne follows organic and biodynamic principles, using only copper, sulphur, and selected biodynamic preparations. He applies the Guyot-Poussard pruning technique, and all fruit is hand-picked. Vinifications are done without sulphur, using native yeasts and, depending on the vintage, a varying percentage of whole bunches. His wines are matured for at least two years in barrels, followed generally by another year in tank and/or bottle, depending on the wine. The resulting wines are refined and elegant, wines of pinpoint balance, the reds showing beautifully resolved tannins and the whites the vibrancy and finesse derived from the limestone terroirs of Saumur.

BODET-HEROLD

Etienne and Kimberley met in the United States in 2014, while Etienne was working with a wine importer in North Carolina. From that moment, they have shared both life and the journey of wine, ultimately creating Bodet-Herold to express the remarkable synergy between Saumur’s tuffeau limestone soils and the production of méthode traditionnelle wines. Saumur has a deep heritage in méthode traditionnelle; it was home to nearly twenty sparkling wine houses before the Second World War, while the Bodet family’s own long history dates back to 1859.

Their winemaking approach emphasises plot-based vinification, long élevage, and close collaboration with trusted growers who share their commitment to precision and farming integrity. Saumur’s porous tuffeau preserves the naturally low pH and fine acidity in Chenin Blanc, while the Bodet family’s 3 km of underground galleries provide ideal, naturally stable conditions for long ageing sur-lattes (they’re aiming for a minimum of five years in due course). All fruit is harvested for balance and only the cœur de cuvée is used; all fermentations are done with native yeasts and without sulphur. The goal is to produce wines of elegance, tension, and purity.

WINE NOTES AND REVIEWS

SPARKLING WINES (BODET-HEROLD)

NV Bodet-Herold Vin de France Ærlinn Rosé Méthode Ancestrale Brut Nature
100 % organically farmed Grolleau Gris from the yellow Cretaceous limestone terroir of Durtal in the northeast of Anjou, about an hour north of Montreuil-Bellay. Hand-picked, crushed and macerated overnight before a gentle pressing. Wild-yeast fermented in stainless steel tanks then bottled towards the end of ferment, to finish fermentation in bottle in the méthode ancestral. In a departure from usual méthode ancestral practice, the wine was disgorged with zero dosage and a small sulphur addition in December 2024 to emphasise the finesse and clarity synonymous with the house style
11.0 % Alc/Vol; < 0.3 g/L RS; 15 ppm Total SO2.

'Ærlinn is a reference to the first name of our daughter, born in the 2021 vintage. Ærlinn means “song of the sea”. My grandfather often tells me that every vintage is a new child.  We strive to raise our wine like our child in the same direction. It is a wine that we imagined for her.' Etienne Bodet.

2021 Bodet-Herold Crémant de Loire Les Greffiers Brut Nature
100 % organically farmed Chenin Blanc from heavy clay soils over Jurassic limestone in the village of Vaudelnay, about 5 km to the east of Montreuil-Bellay. Hand-picked and gently whole-bunch pressed, with only the cuvée or heart of the press juice used. Wild-yeast fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperature, followed by four months maturation on lees in tank, without malolactic conversion.. Bottled and tiraged in March 2022 and matured on lees sur-lattes for 34 months before dégorgement with zero dosage and a small sulphur addition in December 2024.
11.7 % Alc/Vol; < 0.3 g/L RS; 7.4 g/L TA; 26 ppm Total SO2.

2022 Bodet-Herold Crémant de Loire Ternay Brut Nature
100 % organically farmed Chenin Blanc from the white Cretaceous limestone terroir of Ternay. Hand-picked and gently whole-bunch pressed, with only the cuvée or heart of the press juice used. Wild-yeast fermented in seasoned oak barrels at low temperature without the addition of sulphur. Malolactic in barrel followed by 4 months maturation on lees in barrel entirely without any sulphur additions. Bottled and tiraged in March 2023 and matured on lees sur-lattes for 22 months before dégorgement with zero dosage and zero sulphur in December 2024.
13.4 % Alc/Vol; 0.48 g/L RS; 6.8 g/L TA; < 10 ppm Total SO2.

Complex and ripe with an enveloping plate. The typical Chenin Blanc aromas and creamy texture create a sensation of fullness. Salne finish. (91-92/100), La Revue du Vin de France, November 2025.

WHITE WINES (ETIENNE BODET)

2022 Graippeaux Saumur Blanc (Ternay) - extremely limited
Graippeaux is the domaine’s first white, produced from a 1.2 hectare plot of 75-year-old Chenin Blanc vines in the small village of Ternay, about 15 km to the southeast of Montreuil-Bellay. Here the vines are planted on olive Turonian tuffeau and sandy glauconite with calcareous sandstone. The site’s excellent water-holding capacity buffers the vines against water stress, allowing them to retain high malic acidity even in warmer vintages. The wine is vinified without sulphur, the fruit whole-bunch pressed and settled, then racked to barrel for ferment. A quick stir to complete the ferment, followed by malolactic conversion and the wine is then aged for two years in a mix of new and seasoned barrels (including demi-muids), Bottled unlined, but filtered and matured for one additional year in bottle before release.
12.0 % Alc/Vol; < 0.3 g/L RS.

The extra time in bottle has given more expression to this tightly coiled wine with beautiful aromatics giving gentle hints of tarragon and anise and Chartruese herbs together with bright apple and orchard fruit aromas. Excellent length and intensity on the palate yet so fine and restrained at the same time.

2024 Taison Noire Saumur Blanc (Montreuil-Bellay) - due 2027

RED WINES (ETIENNE BODET)

‘I age my wines for a minimum of two years in barrels new to three wines, then 6 months in vats and 6 months in bottles before selling. The temperature and humidity of the cellars are fundamental criteria in order to polish the tannins as much as possible. The objective is to obtain a refined, spiritual wine that is as moving as possible.’ Etienne Bodet.

2021 Clos Durandière Saumur-Champigny (Montreuil-Bellay)
100% Cabernet Franc from a 1.3 ha plot planted in 1983 on hard Bathonian limestone from the Jurassic period (circa 168 million years ago). This is the same geological period as the Côte de Nuits and is a rare geology in Saumur, with only 20 known hectares planted. The topsoil here is shallow, only 30-60 cm and is of a clayey-sand or sandy loam texture with notable iron oxide.

Etienne’s principal goal is to soften (or ‘polish’ to use his term) the tannins of Cabernet Franc to produce a ‘refined, spiritual wine that is as moving as possible’. To this end he employs a partial maceration carbonique to promote an initial intracellular fermentation within the berries for up to a week before crushing. The wine is vinified with native yeasts and without sullphur additions, though Etienne does use carefully measured organic nitrogen to maintain healthy a healthy ferment and limit potential exposure to brettanomyces. Extraction is via a gentle infusion, without pump-overs or harsh plunging. Pressed to a mix of new and seasoned barrels (up to three years old) and matured for two years then assembled in tank for six months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with a small sulphur addition (19 ppm total) and matured in bottle a further six months prior to release.
12.4 % Alc/Vol; 3.38 pH; 5.8 g/L TA; < 10/19 ppm Free/Total SO2.

The resulting wine is as utterly distinctive as it is rivetting. Medium saturation of colour (less for 2021 than for his first 2020 vintage) with aromas of lavender, pot-pourri, rose petal and delicate red fruits hinting at fraise des bois. Ample intensity and length of flavours on the palate with a frame of bright vibrant fruit and remarkably fine and sophisticated tannins carried through to a long and expressive finish with perfectly balanced freshness. The aftertaste is long and hauntingly fine and appetising drawing you back to taste again. Such remarkably well managed tannins and intensity of fruit within a fine and refreshingly balanced structure.

2023 Le Clos des Vaudelles Saumur-Champigny (Montreuil-Bellay) - due to arrive in Australia in 2027
100% Cabernet Franc from a 0.9 ha plot planted in 1966. Clos des Vaudelles is just across the Rue des Fusillées 1944 from Clos Durandière, yet the geology here is Oxfordian marl from the Jurassic period (circa 155 million years ago). There is more clay in the topsoil here and Etienne has been regenerating the vineyard since 2021. The winemaking régime is the same as for Clos Durandière.

Tasted from barrel this looks incredibly promising with even more finesse which is remarkable given that 1/3 of this cuvee had whole bunch ferment. This will be matured for 2 years in barrel then a further year in tank and bottle, as for Clos Durandière, before release in 2026.