Domaine des Baumard

An estate in the Baumard family since the 17th century, the wines only really came to the fore under the stewardship of Jean Baumard, professor of viticulture and oenology, who from the mid-1950s brought a dynamic and scientific edge to the grape growing and wine production. Jean, after purchasing land in Savennières became the first vigneron of the region to own land on both sides of the Loire River. In the late 1980s, Jean’s son, Florent, took over the 40 hectare property after his studies in Burgundy and set about adding a certain flair to the wines, building upon Jean’s precision. Unoaked Chenin Blanc wines are the focus of the domaine whether they be dry (Savennières), sweet (Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume) or sparkling. They have incredible ageing potential of several decades.

Loire Valley

FRANCE

Located in the heart of the Loire Valley.

Florent Baumard watches over the destiny of 40 hectares of vineyards, spread out on both banks of the Loire. Discreet and epicurean at heart, he combines the rigor and technical training passed on by his father with the search for the expression of the grape variety in the Loire terroir. A natural charm that can be found in his straight and flattering wines.

Respectful of the environment and people, the Domaine des Baumard has been practising sustainable viticulture since the end of the 1950s.

The fruit in its purity – Pick the best grapes and put them in the bottle – If the grapes are pressed too quickly or too hard, the intrinsic qualities of the fruit are lost. Picking and pressing are essential steps in the making of our wines. Their main objective is to produce unique and high quality wines.

Viticulture

Vineyard management Respectful of the environment and people, the Domaine des Baumard has been practicing sustainable viticulture since the end of the 1950s: Alternating tillage and grassing. Tall and wide vines (VHL). Respect for natural balances and prophylaxis. Mastery of applications. Effluent management. Current viticultural practices in France prescribe : High vine density = better quality fruit = better quality wine. Fewer leaves = less vigour = more energy diverted to improve fruit quality. While this is true in some cases, there are other factors that, when added together, have a greater impact on overall grape quality than planting density alone. The vineyard management, as we have chosen it, provides us with a modular system that allows us to adapt to annual and multi-annual climatic variations. At the same time, we limit the impact of our work on the environment. The VHL management method allows for a “large exposed leaf area” for better ripening of the grapes, improves the structure of the soil and restores a superior biological and agronomic potential, the purpose of which is to maintain the terroir. This spacing (3m wide x 2m high) is more commonly seen in other parts of the world, but rarely in France. The grapes are harvested by hand in shallow boxes. The Savennières, Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume are subject to successive selection. The bunches are then quickly transported to the press in order to preserve the physical qualities of the grapes.

Winemaking

Harvesting and winemaking There are many ways to make white wine, the method we have chosen corresponds to the style of wine we are trying to produce. Fine, elegant, digestible wines, suitable for ageing. After the work of selecting the grapes in the vineyard, what seems most important to us is the art of pressing. Our pickers are trained to select the best bunches at harvest time, but Chenin Blanc ripens unevenly, and on the same bunch there are often grapes of different maturity. We then rely on science and physics to perfect manual selection. The aim is to press the grapes without extracting too much tannin and to eliminate any vegetal or earthy matter from the final juice. Only a delicate and fractioned pressing allows the juice of the ripest grapes to be extracted and separated from the juice of the less ripe berries, which have a firmer skin and flesh. At no point in our winemaking process (fermentation, aging) does the grape juice, or the finished wine, come into contact with wood or other inputs. We believe that the true expression of Chenin Blanc comes from the pure grape juice, without external factors affecting the taste of the wine and its origin. The fruit in its purity.