Domaine des Baumard, Quarts de Chaume, Grand Cru, Loire 2017, 750ml

“This unctuous white shows a myriad of flavors, with hints of matchstick weaving through the glazed yellow apple, plum, and pineapple flavors, flanked with blanched almond, mineral, honeysuckle and chamomile accents. Crystalized ginger and herb notes echo on the long finish. Drink now through 2036.”-94WS

Domaine des Baumard’s masterful wines span a range that is highly unusual in France. More specifically, Baumard is recognized for producing some of the most extraordinary dry white wines in the Loire and in France, namely endlessly nuanced Chenin Blanc from Savennieres. And Baumard is the single most famous producer of Quarts de Chaume, the greatest appellation for sweet wines in the Loire Valley and an appellation that has been recognized for its special quality over 1,000 years. The wines, especially today, are a study in purity and nuance. No oak is used in their vinification or aging, and gentle, precise care is the guiding philosophy in the vineyard and the winery. If you take the time to pay attention, you will be left speechless.

The property has been in the Baumard family since 1634, but it was reconstituted and improved by Jean Baumard in the mid-1950s, notably with important vineyard acquisitions in Savennieres and Quarts de Chaumes. Jean was a key figure in the history of the Loire Valley’s wine industry in the 20th century. Professor of viticulture and oenology in Angers from 1955-1970, he later became head of several viticultural associations, and even subsequently continued as an influential voice in the region on viticultural and production matters.

The estate itself is situated right in the heart of the Anjou, in the town of Rochefort-Sur-Loire, just south of the town of Savennières, arguably the greatest appellation for Chenin Blanc in the world (and inarguably home of the wines with the greatest aging potential).  Since 1992 the estate has been run with meticulous care by Jean’s son, Florent, whose soft-spoken and gentle manner belie the extraordinary wines he makes.

The estate holdings are in Savennières, from where Florent produces several great bottlings; Coteaux du Layon, from where several long-lived and intense sweet wines are made, including Quarts de Chaume; and various other areas from which some outstanding Crémant de Loire is produced, and a very small amount of red wine, a Cabernet based Anjou.