Bodet-Herold Cremant De Loire Brut Nature “Les Greffiers” 2022
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The Land
Saumur is best known for red Cabernet Franc and its soft, cave-riddled tuffeau limestone, but Les Greffiers comes from something different: heavy clay over hard Jurassic limestone in the village of Vaudelnay, about 5 kilometers east of Montreuil-Bellay. That Jurassic bedrock is the same geological age as the great vineyards of the Cote de Nuits, and it is rare in Saumur. The clay holds water and the limestone below keeps the acidity in Chenin Blanc high and the pH low, exactly what you want for a sparkling wine built on tension. Saumur has deep sparkling roots; nearly twenty traditional-method houses operated here before the Second World War, a heritage this wine draws directly from.
The Wine
100% organically farmed Chenin Blanc, hand-picked and gently whole-bunch pressed, with only the heart of the press, the coeur de cuvee, kept. Fermentation is wild-yeast in stainless steel at low temperature, followed by several months on the lees in tank with no malolactic conversion to preserve acidity. The wine is then bottled for its second fermentation and aged sur lattes for an extended stretch in the Bodet family's underground galleries before disgorgement at zero dosage, a true brut nature with just a small sulphur addition. 2022 was a hot, dry, ripe vintage across the Loire; Saumur came through it well, giving Chenin with real concentration balanced by freshness. Expect green apple, quince, and citrus, a fine, persistent mousse, and a chalky, bone-dry, saline finish.
The People
Bodet-Herold is the project of Etienne Bodet and his wife Kimberley Herold, who met in the United States in 2014 and founded the sparkling house in 2017. Etienne is the fifth generation of a Saumur wine family whose roots go back to 1859, and his training reads like a tour of the Loire and beyond: he worked under Sylvain Pataille in Marsannay, Bernard Baudry in Chinon, Francois Dal in Sancerre, and Aurelien Gerbais in Champagne, and was on the winemaking team at the legendary Clos Rougeard from 2021 through 2023. The sparkling wines are made from certified organic grower-partners, and the family's 3 kilometers of underground galleries provide naturally stable conditions for long aging.
Food Pairing
Bone-dry and mineral, this is a natural aperitif that also holds up at the table. Try it with a dozen raw oysters, a plate of fried smelt, a wedge of Loire goat cheese like Sainte-Maure, or roast chicken with herbs. The zero-dosage dryness and fine bubbles cut through fried and salty food, while the Chenin's acidity keeps pace with tangy chevre. It is a sparkling wine for people who find most bubbly too sweet.
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The Loire Valley, often referred to as the "Garden of France," is a revered wine region that stretches along the Loire River, producing an array of distinct wines, including the crisp, sea-breeze influenced Muscadet near the Atlantic coast, the versatile and expressive Chenin Blanc in regions like Vouvray and Anjou, the elegantly fragrant Cabernet Franc from Chinon and Bourgueil, and the minerally complex Sauvignon Blanc-based Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé from its eastern vineyards. This is a reflection of the valley's varied terroir and climate, which together foster the creation of wines that are celebrated for their finesse, diversity, and food-friendliness.
