Chamboureau (2020)
SommeliAI Insights
Ripe and mineral Chenin Blanc from Savennières, showing bright orchard fruit, white flowers, and a saline finish.
About this wine
This wine is 100% Chenin Blanc from the Chamboureau parcel in Savennières, the fruit is hand harvested and comes from schist and sandy soils that give the wine a mineral bite. On the nose you will find pear, quince, white peach, and a floral lift of chamomile. The palate is medium to full bodied with lively acidity, concentrated yellow fruit, and a stony saline thread that carries through the finish. The texture is rich and slightly creamy from lees contact, while the wine retains a crisp tensile core because no malolactic fermentation is carried out. Vinification typically involves fermentation in stainless steel with extended élevage on the lees in oak barrels for roughly nine to twelve months, and the finished alcohol sits around thirteen to thirteen and a half percent.
About the grape
Chenin Blanc is an ancient Loire variety that likely originated in the Anjou region and is prized for its high acidity and ability to produce wines that age for decades. In Savennières it is traditionally planted on steep plots of schist and volcanic rhyolite, soils that concentrate flavor and give strong minerality, and Domaine FL sources its Chamboureau fruit from the historic clos around the Chateau de Chamboureau where vines are often 25 to 30 years old and farmed organically. At Domaine FL the variety is picked by hand with careful selection, fermented without malolactic conversion and aged on lees in oak to preserve the natural acidity and structure of Chenin while expressing the site specific terroir.
Quick facts
- 🏰 Domaine FL was created by Philip Fournier in the mid 2000s when he bought and merged Château de Chamboureau with nearby holdings, the FL name comes from Fournier Longchamps
- 🪨 The Chamboureau cuvée comes from very old Chenin vines planted on sandstone schist and sandy terraces right around the Château de Chamboureau parcel
- ⭐ The 2020 Chamboureau earned stellar praise from critics, including a very high score from James Suckling, which helped put this bottling on many collectors lists
- 🌱 The estate moved to organic farming early in its life and several key parcels including some for Chamboureau are managed with biodynamic principles under Julien Fournier
- 🕰️ This wine is made with long élevage on the lees and typically avoids malolactic conversion, a choice that gives the 2020 strong aging potential of a decade or more
Palate profile
