DOMAINE DES BAUMARD CREMANT DE LOIRE CARTE CORAIL

Tasting notes:

A very fine, pale pink hue, the nose is enticing, full of peachy fresh fruit, nuanced with early tinges of honeycomb, and some red fruits sprinkled with mint. Absolutely packed with vivacious fruits held up by a lively acidity. Delicious hints of strawberry and cream, sprinkled with notes of black pepper on the palate. Harmonious and polished, this beautifully crafted sparkling wine has a vibrant, lively mousse.

About the wine:

The Baumard approach to viticulture is a notable one, and it does make it easy to spot the Baumard vines in any given appellation. They are trained in a fashion Baumard describe as vignes hautes et larges (sometimes abbreviated to VHL); the larges refers to the distance between the vines, a remarkable 3 metres between the rows and 0.8 metres between each vine, whereas the hautes refers to the high trellising system employed, taking the vines to a height of more than 2 metres, the object being to obtain a large surface area of foliage.

During the vegetative period they see limited leaf-thinning along their base, but otherwise there is little intervention at this time, not even topping-off of the upper shoots as they reach for the sky above. Between the rows, the soil is alternatively ploughed and grassed over, a methodology the Baumards have been following for well over 40 years.

The harvest is manual, and the fruit transported in small plastic cages to minimise damage. Winemaking The fruit is hand harvest to ensure that only the best quality fruit is produced. On arrival at the winery, it is placed in a pneumatic press but only the first press wine is used.

The first fermentation is in temperature controlled tanks with Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Pinot Noir being fermented separately. After blending refermentation takes place in the bottle and the wine is then aged on its lees for over a year.

About the producer:

One of the Loire’s most lauded producers, Domaine des Baumard’s history can be traced back to 1634 but the recent history begins in 1955 with the arrival of Jean Baumard who began the search for the best vineyard sites in the region.

Having acquired fantastic sites in Quarts de Chaume as well as the remarkable Clos du Papillon in Savennières, Jean Baumard established worldwide distribution that helped cement the reputation for Baumard. Florent Baumard joined the family business in 1987 and has retained the desire to respect the vineyard and make wines that are a true, sympathetic reflection of the remarkable soils on which they are grown.

Whilst much at the property remains true to the past, Baumard was amongst the first to embrace the move towards screwcaps and now bottles the majority of its wines with these closures to retain the purity of the carefully harvested fruit.