Baumard

“The Baumard style is a very particular one, both Savennières and Quarts de Chaume quite distinctive. Looking at Savennières first, the style can be a little difficult to pigeonhole; avoidance of softening features – in particular fermentation and élevage in cement or steel rather than wood, and the absence of the malolactic fermentation – typifies the old-school style of Savennières, giving wines that are firm, austere, bone-dry and capable of great terroir expression after a few years in bottle. Sometimes quite a few years. Those wishing to make Savennières more accessible, more attractive at a younger age, are more likely to employ wood and malolactic fermentation to take the harder edge off the wine. Baumard’s philosophy means the style here leans towards the traditional, but when you line them up against other traditionally styled wines the wines remain distinctive. Ultimately, I suppose, I have to accept that they show a style that is uniquely Baumard. Thinking particularly of the Clos du Papillon and Clos Ste Yves cuvées, they remain taut, especially now they are bottled under a screwcap closure, for many years, only softening as they hit a decade or more. They move from rather stern notes of green pear skin and preserved lemons in their youth into a style more honeyed and textured with age, all of which comes purely from the fruit.

The issue of Quarts de Chaume is perhaps rather more complicated, and the situation is clearly set to change. Whatever controversies may surround this appellation and wine, there is no doubt in my mind that the Quarts de Chaume from Domaine des Baumard remains, in many vintages, one of the finest examples of the appellation. The methods behind the wine are unique, and seem to me to be at odds with the Quarts de Chaume’s proven capability of producing naturally botrytis-dried, wind-dried grapes of complex flavour, and as such they should certainly be put up for debate. But we should not judge purely on methodology, but also on results, as we cannot ignore the finished product. Judging solely by what is in the glass these taut and vibrant wines, with their remarkably crystalline and minerally-quartzy character, usually countered by their soothing, polished sweetness, are delightful examples of the Quarts de Chaume appellation. Despite acknowledging that the methodology is unusual, I have already voted with my palate; the Quarts de Chaume made by Florent Baumard may be atypical but it remains a very good wine and it has been, in many vintages, sufficiently compelling for me to add it to my own cellar.” thewinedoctor.com

Sparkling

“These wines are all Crémant de Loire, an appellation which allows for Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and a select group of other varieties alongside the ubiquitous Chenin Blanc. I think my favourite in this line-up is the Carte Corail, a rosé made from 100% Cabernet Franc (occasionally with a little Grolleau). As for the Carte Turquoise, the base material here is an assemblage of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Whatever the differences between the wines, the dosage takes these to 6 g/l, as Florent feels this allows for a better expression of the fruit.” thewinedoctor.com

NV Cremant de Loire “Carte Turquoise”
40% Cabernet Franc, 30% Chenin blanc 30% Chardonnay. Low dosage (4-5 g/L) ensures a fine crisp aperitif style with finesse.
”This méthode traditionnelle cuvée is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. The base vintage here is 2019, and it was disgorged in November 2022. I find a nose of crushed white pebbles and white flowers, with a touch of smoke. The palate has plenty of vivacity, with lightly bitter white fruits, the Chenin showing well here despite not being dominant in the bland, with a touch of redcurrant coming from the Cabernet. Charming, fresh and bright, with a nicely gripped finish. The dosage was approximately 4 g/l. The alcohol on the label is 12.5%.” 90 points, thewinedoctor.com, February 2023

NV Cremant de Loire “Carte Corail”
90% cabernet Franc, 10% Grolleau. Low dosage (4-5 g/L) ensures a fine crisp aperitif style with finesse.
”This méthode traditionnelle cuvée is 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Grolleau. Here Florent uses both first and later pressings from the Cabernet Franc, giving it more Cabernet character. The base vintage is 2021. In the glass it has a charming pale pink hue, and a correspondingly delicate aromatic profile with layers of peach, strawberry and liquorice. It presents the same character on the palate, with a very Cabernet-style leafy freshness, laced with bitter edges. Quite charming. Personally I like this, particularly its raw and honest character, but it has more grip and less elegance than the Carte Turquoise. The alcohol on the label is 12.5%.” 89 points, thewinedoctor.com, February 2023

“Very pale, bright pink with a steady bead. Shy aromas of strawberry, blood orange, rose and spices, plus a hint of honeysuckle. Very fresh and expansive on the palate, offering pure red fruit and sweet citrus flavors and subtle minerality. A strikingly elegant, precise, understated bubbly that makes plenty of pink Champagnes seem somewhat crude. The precise, spicy finish leaves dusty mineral and strawberry notes behind.” Steve Tanzer

Dry Wines - Savennieres

“Having acquired their first vines in the appellation in 1968, today Savennières remains a linchpin in the Baumard portfolio. Florent has 14.5 hectares, divided almost evenly between two vineyards, Clos du Papillon and Clos Ste Yves. Both plots are located just to the north and east of the village of Savennières, between the Moulin de Gué on the slope above, and the Château de Varennes below, next to the railway line. They were purchased from the Pirie family, who were inhabitants of this château. The former clos is perhaps the best known and seems the most popular with die-hard Baumard fans and neophytes alike, so it is perhaps worthy of consideration first.” thewinedoctor.com

“The two principle Savennières labels to be found here are the Clos du Papillon and Clos de Saint Yves cuvées, which each reflect the two parcels of origin. The fruit is harvested in several tries, the aim being to obtain fresh rather than richly ripe fruit, and certainly not botrytis; these pickings typically yield five or six distinct aliquots of wine which Florent will ultimately blend into his single-parcel cuvées. The fruit receives a very gentle pressing before fermentation largely in temperature-controlled steel, occasionally cement, Florent preferring materials other then wood, both for fermentation and subsequent élevage. The wines will typically be fermented and held en cuve, on the lees, for about nine months until ready for bottling, a process which brings minimal contact with oxygen. This exactitude comes through in the character of the wines which often have a very precisely expressed bright fruit character, with sometimes a reductive edge.“ thewinedoctor.com

2019 Savennieres “Clos de Saint Yves” 750ml + 375ml stelvin-luxe
Clos St Yves is the first or “entry level” Savennieres for the domaine however the vineyard is one of the most superbly sited in the appellation containing some of the prized rhyolite soils amongst its schist and volcanic seams not far from Roche aux Moines. Whole bunch pressing of successive passes through the vineyard and 9 months of aging on fine lees yields this fine mineral expression of Savennieres that has tremendous aging capacity or 20 or more years. Pristine pure chenin that shows a great expression of these remarkable Savennieres soils.
”Florent Baumard’s other 7.5 hectares are contained entirely within the Clos Ste Yves, and the resulting wine may be marketed either as Clos Ste Yves (particularly in foreign markets or for the on-trade) or under the straight Domaine des Baumard label for other customers. The soils are schist, well suited to Chenin Blanc which accounts for 6.5 hectares of the Baumard vines, the remaining 1 hectare having been planted with Verdelho until recently. Florent says that his father acquired the vines by accident, having purchased them in the dead of winter, the absence of leaves and other distinguishing features meaning the vines went unnoticed. It was only as the following year progressed, and they displayed their many differences, did he realise he had a hectare of Verdelho on his hands.” thewinedoctor.com
”The vines of this clos – a Baumard monopole – sit behind Château de Varennes, on a hill of purple and brown schist between the Clos du Papillon and the Roche-aux-Moines. The fruit was pressed and the juice vinified in stainless steel. It has a nose of white almond and white flowers, with a very taut apple base. The palate follows in the same vein, with gently expressed orchard fruits, set in a controlled and modestly textured substance, with a firmly defined frame and fresh acidity. It has a good grip, the structure and poise suggesting to me this will age well, probably for a decade or two. The alcohol on the label is 13%. Under screwcap.” 90 points, thewinedoctor.com, February 2023

2007 Savennieres “Clos de Saint Yves” 375ml stelvin-luxe
The vines for this cuvee are located between Clos du Papillon and the Roche aux Moines slope of Savennieres. Shows pristine purity and great depth of fruit. Bottled under stelvin-luxe and just starting to show some development with hints of honey and grilled nuts. Outstanding drinking - and value.
”The yield here was around 35 hl/ha on average. This vintage has a lightly yellow-golden hue. There is an appealing nose here, it now having opened and evolved, revealing a fine minerally character within. The palate feels very dry and a little austere still at the start, with a fuller substance rounding it out in the mid-palate. Broad and rich, lightly grippy. This is an impressive wine for the vintage. 16/20” thewinedoctor.com, February 2013

2018 Savennieres “Clos du Papillon” stelvin-luxe
Known locally as an “unofficial Premier Cru”, the Baumard family own 7ha (nearly half of the total) of this small superbly sited vineyard lies in the centre of the appellation just above the village of Savennieres. Here the terroir is sand over layers of black schist (which can be seen clearly from the road below the vineyard where the small foot-bridge leads from the garden of Chateau des Vaults into the Clos du Papillon vineyard). Average age of vines here is 35yo and harvest is made in successive tries or passes through the vineyard. Whole bunch pressed straight into vat and a long slow ferment at low temperature with ageing on fine lees for 9 months. This wine generally finishes dry with alcohol around 13% and with notable acidity that enables long slow evolution with the wine starting to show its best around 8 years age. Bottled under stelvin-luxe ensuring a perfect and slow evolution of 20 years and more. Bottling under stelvin started around 2003/2004 and those early vintages still show superbly fresh and aging very gently.

”The Baumard family own 7 hectares of the Clos du Papillon which itself amounts to about 14.5 hectares, the remaining 7.5 hectares shared out between two other owners. Its name is derived from its shape, which resembles that of a butterfly (or papillon), when viewed from the slope opposite. Underfoot the terroir is principally schist, varying with the slope; there are other igneous and some metamorphic rocks at the top of the slope, especially rhyolite and quartz, whereas towards the bottom the soils take on a more sandy feel. The Baumard vines are in the eastern part of the vineyard, more on schist and sand. The vines are principally Chenin Blanc, although there is also a small 0.8-hectare plot of Chardonnay near the edge of the vineyard. Although it seems plausible that the fruit of these Chardonnay vines were once harvested and vinified with the Chenin Blanc for the Clos du Papillon cuvée (very plausible, in fact), today these grapes are destined for the domaine’s Crémant de Loire.” thewinedoctor.com

”Florent shares this well-known clos with two other proprietors. As with all his dry wines, the juice is vinified in stainless steel, there being no contact with wood at any time. This shows evident richness compared to the Clos de Saint Yves, with layers of beeswax and fragrant freesia. This translates onto a palate which shows a rather steely reserve, although it frames an expressive core of beeswax, dried pear and lavender, with a little cheesy note to it. It feels tautly composed, showing lovely harmony, and definition, with admirable acid freshness given the vintage. I suspect this will develop well in the cellar; keep yours ten or twenty years – or more – to find out. The alcohol on the label is 14%. although the true figure is lower than this. Under screwcap.” 93 points, thewinedoctor.com, February 2023

“This is a fuller, creamy style of Clos du Papillon probably due to the warmer season. The 2018 is full bodied with relatively rich fruit for a Savennieres, all baked apple fruits, baking spices and nutty characters. Its young yet ready to drink. It will evolve but will it improve?” 91 pts Vinous Media, Rebecca Gibb M.W., June 2022

2019 Savennieres “Clos du Papillon” stelvin-luxe - due 2024
“I love the purity and personality of the 2019 Clos du Papillon. It has a sense of roundness and curved edges, yet maintains a sense of lightness and focus on its feet. The aromas and flavours are highly attractive: fresh apple fruit, florals and delicate almond feel. Based on previous vintages, this will gain more complexity, weight and savory layers with a decade under its belt. Yes, you could drink it now, but it’ll be a lot more interesting if you want.” 92 pts Vinous Media, Rebecca Gibb M.W., June 2022

2010 Savennieres "Trie Speciale" stelvin-luxe - SOLD OUT
As the name indicates this is made from successive “tries” of the harvest and also from select parts of the pressing. Made only in vintages with great potential this is aged for 9 months on fine lees in stainless steel tank and typically released with significant bottle age allowing the wine to show its potential after 5 or more years of cellaring. The style of this wine is rich yet dry.
“As always this is a selection from Clos Ste Yves. It is based on richer fruit, which includes a little pourri plein botrytised grapes. The nose has immediate impact, with some lightly mineral, yellow-gold orchard fruits, with a little apricot character. The palate is cool, yet textured, with an appealing supple weight and a deeper flavour character, certainly richer in fruit character but still with a match-sticky freshness to it. Polished, quite appealing, direct, with a full and lightly bitter edge to it, this is a wine full of interest and substance. Clearly a favourable vintage, and I like this style, and the extra touch of richness it brings to the typical Baumard structure. A long and imposing finish. Very good indeed. 17.5/20” thewinedoctor.com February 2015

“The apotheosis of Chenin blanc, and unquestionably a wine to rival Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet; dense, glycerous and flavor saturated packed with honey nuts and flowers.” Andrew Jefford – The New France

“For a more texture, approachable style, look to the Trie Speciale, which is much more seductive throughout its life, a characteristic achieved purely by a different level of fruit ripeness at picking.” thewinedoctor.com

Sweet Wines

2021 Coteaux du Layon “Carte d’Or”   stelvin-luxe
”The harvest and vinification of the Coteaux du Layon fruit follows closely the same philosophies with picking in tries, only here the aim is clearly to obtain fruit more marked by botrytis. The fruit is channelled into at least three cuvées, on occasion complemented by some purchased fruit from a grower in St Lambert du Lattay. This purchased fruit does not contribute to the more elevated cuvées but only to the very serviceable Carte d’Or, an entry-level wine with a lighter, elegant style with not a prodigious level of residual sugar.” thewinedoctor.com
“The residual sugar here is 92.3 g/l; the maximum for this cuvée tends to be about 100 g/l, otherwise Florent feels it can lack freshness. Sweet pear flesh with a matchsticky overlay on the nose. It has a little honeyed apricot, but on the whole the style is light and open. The palate shows a very appealing concentration, with white peach, white pear flesh, a delightfully match-sticky freshness and also a beautifully bright acidity. For an entry-level cuvée this has very nice fruit and tension, but also a delicious minerally frame for it all. Very good indeed.” thewinedoctor.com
”This blended entry-level Coteaux du Layon takes fruit from a number of Baumard parcels. It opens with charming and leafy white fruits on the nose, white peach touched with a little caramel and crushed chalk. It feels beautifully textured at the start of the palate, fresh and pure, with white pebbles, white freesia and white peach, all with a sweetly honeyed polished to it. It shows harmony through to the finish, and has good length too. A quite charming style which would be delicious with a fruit-based dessert. Florent tells me he doesn’t remember the residual sugar but thinks it is between 90 and 100 g/l. The alcohol on the label is 12%. Under screwcap.” 90 points, thewinedoctor.com, February 2023

2016 Le Petit Paon moelleux    500ml stelvin-luxe
This wine is a young cousin of their Coteaux du Layon Le Paon and contains “a secret and original blend of our cepages and terroirs”. Elegant and lively with 128 gms/litre of residual sugar this wine comes from a number of vineyards in Coteaux du Layon and… The wine is both elegant and refreshing with ample acidity backing the beautifully modest level of sweetness. Exotic aromas of ripe apricots quince and citrus elements binding the wine into a complex whole with well covered acidity taking the wine to a very long peacocks tail finish on the palate. Astonishing value and a brilliant addition to the range.

2017 Le Petit Paon moelleux    500ml stelvin-luxe - due late 2023
”This cuvée is made using fruit from declassified parcels predominantly in the Quarts de Chaume appellation, with a few in Coteaux du Layon. It displays a rich colour in the glass. There follows an enticing nose, very tense and well-formed, with evident sweetness offset by the aromas of crushed chalk, beeswax, freesia and dried peach. The palate is very fine, showing evident breadth and nicely controlled substance, lightly grained with dried fruits especially sweet yellow peach, freesia and honeyed fruits, with a fine counterbalance from the midpalate’s tense freshness and bright acidity. Deliciously poised, with powdery minerality and good botrytis complexity showing through. A slowly fading finish completes the picture. The alcohol on the label is 11%. Under screwcap.” 93 points, thewinedoctor.com, February 2023

These are simply some of the worlds greatest sweet wines. Made from 100% Chenin blanc these wines will age superbly.

2016 Coteau du Layon “Clos St Catherine” stelvin-luxe
From a single north-facing vineyard located just above the village of Rochefort-sur-Loire, providing a stark contrast to the richer fuller wines from the south-facing Quarts de Chaume. As a result the acidity here can be more marked and give exceptional ageing capacity and greater finesse and depth so that in some years it challenges the very best of Quarts de Chaume.
”Things become considerably more interesting with the Clos de Sainte Catherine, a much richer, deeper and more cerebral style. It is sourced from a single vineyard with sandy soils just outside Rochefort-sur-Loire.”

2012 Coteau du Layon “Clos St Catherine” stelvin-luxe
“Glazed Jonagold apple and pear notes are laced with toasted macadamia nut and dried mango hints, with everything gliding through a honeysuckle-accented finish. Flattering, but has lift and tension for balance. A good effort for the vintage. Drink now through 2018. 13 cases imported.” 90 pts Wine Spectator - September 2015

2011 Coteau du Layon “Clos St Catherine” stelvin-luxe - last bottles
“This shows good tension from the start, with ginger and white peach notes that help stretch out the core of glazed pear, yellow apple and quince flavors. The long, heather-lined finish is delicious, with enough zip to reward some cellaring. Drink now through 2022. 10 cases imported.” 92 pts Wine Spectator - September 2015

2010 Coteau du Layon “Clos St Catherine” stelvin-luxe - last bottles
“Plump, ripe and full, featuring a slightly exotic edge to the guava, mango and creamed peach flavors, before a racier side of green plum, honeysuckle and plantain moves in behind. Still youthfully raw, with the fruit bouncing rather than gliding for now. The finish is long, revealing an echo of green almond that bodes well for cellaring.” 94 pts Wine Spectator - Feb 2013

“..there is no doubt in my mind that the Quarts de Chaume from Domaine des Baumard remains, in many vintages, one of the finest examples of the appellation. The methods behind the wine are unique, and seem to me to be at odds with the Quarts de Chaume's proven capability of producing naturally botrytis-dried, wind-dried grapes of complex flavour, and as such they should certainly be put up for debate. But we should not judge purely on methodology, but also on results, as we cannot ignore the finished product. Judging solely by what is in the glass these taut and vibrant wines, with their remarkably crystalline and minerally-quartzy character, usually countered by their soothing, polished sweetness, are delightful examples of the Quarts de Chaume appellation.” thewinedoctor.com

2018 Quarts de Chaume    500ml    stelvin-luxe
An excellent vintage for the Loire for all styles of wine especially the sweet wines of the Anjou. This vintage carries 157 g/l residual and shows great richness and depth.
”In this vintage Florent moved to bottling his entire production in the Quarts de Chaume appellation in 500 ml format. Fresh with layers of yellow and white peach scented with jasmine, lemon peel and white freesias. The palate has a simply divine poise and breadth, with a silky, tightly formed texture, supported by a rich phenolic grip. It presents an array of floral white fruits, with its great purity reinforced by its fresh veins of acidity. Deliciously formed, bright and pure, with a dense, velvety and creamy texture, but countered by structure and freshness, this has great length and serious potential. I can see it going for a few decades in a decent cellar. The alcohol on the label is 12%.” 94 points, thewinedoctor.com, February 2023
“Aromas of baked pears, green apples, sage and thyme. Medium-bodied with charming sweetness. Supple and bright with a solid core of candied berries and fresh flowers. Honey and almond skin. Lovely length here too. Seriously tasty. Drink or hold.”  94 points JamesSuckling.com, October 2022

2012 Quarts de Chaume    750 + 375ml    stelvin-luxe - last bottles
From the cooler 2012 vintage and made from tiny yields and carrying 131 g/l residual and excellent acidity. Shows great freshness with a touch less unctuousness than warmer years.
“The nose is full of youthful orchard fruits, with scents of cherry blossom, apricot and peach, but with a floral, open freshness. The palate has a very pure, sorbet-like character, with sweetly polished English apples, dripping with sugar syrup, with a prominent leafy, rather herbaceous freshness to it all. There is a very full, peppery-mineral backbone to it all too, and certainly some strident acidity. A striking wine, with an unusual juxtaposition of rather green and herbaceous fruit yet with great sweetness, with a very pure style, unfettered by any elements suggestive of botrytis. The residual sugar is 130 g/l. 15.5/20”  thewinedoctor.com, February 2015

2008 Quarts de Chaume    750ml    stelvin-luxe - last bottles
From the cooler 2008 vintage and made from tiny yields and carrying 149 g/l residual and excellent acidity. Shows great freshness with a touch less unctuousness than warmer years.
“Linden (i.e. basswood) honey and lily perfume; candied lime and grapefruit peel; quince preserves and pineapple scent the Baumard 2008 Quarts de Chaume and inform a glycerin-rich, oily, soothingly-unctuous palate that preserves elements of fresh citrus and salinity sufficient to call forth salivation and at least go some way toward offsetting what is for now extreme sweetness. The sheer persistence of flavor here is remarkable. This is likely to be a very long-lived (20+ year) and perhaps eventually an extraordinary wine. But for now it does not approach the complexity not to mention the sense of balance exhibited by the corresponding Coteaux du Layon Sainte Catherine.”  92 points, thewineadvocate.com, August 2010

1988 Quarts de Chaume (re-corked at the domaine 2007) - last bottle
A classic cooler vintage for Loire Valley unlike 1989 + 1990 which both had much more botrytis and heat during those vintages. As a result this wine has a vibrant green gold colour with lively acidity and still has lots of life and development ahead of it given a good cool cellar. While providing great enjoyment now for its medium level of sweetness and only moderately developed character. A classic vintage of Quarts de Chaume which will age effortlessly for many decades to come. These are extraordinarily long lived wines.

1967 Quarts de Chaume (re-corked at the domaine 2007) - SOLD OUT
From one of the most highly famed sweet wine vintages of last century in France. This vintage was cooler with good acidity and moderate development of botrytis leading to some spectacular sweet wines coming from this vintage. Made by Florents father, Jean Baumard, this is made in a more traditional way to the wines produced now. Showing great depth and some gently honeyed character with more solids apparent on the palate than more recent vintages. This wine is still effortless and lithe and glides over the palate in waves of honey spice and gently candied citrus flavours carried by gentle acidity still giving shape and refreshment to this utterly riveting and moderately sweet wine. Almost defies description to partake in such a great wine in such great condition having been re-corked in 2007 then laid to rest in the cellar for some years to recover before being re-released by the domaine in the last decade.
”This bottle of 1967 Quarts de Chaume was recorked in 2002. It offers a singular bouquet of caramelized citrus, white truffle, browned sugar and honey. Deep, ripe, unctuous and powerful, yet with vibrant acidity, it’s an incredible dessert wine.” 96 points, Jeb Dunnuck, March 2018.

“If there ever was God in a glass, this is it.”  Matt Kramer