April 11, 2025
From Clos Rougeard lineage - Domaine du Colliers Stunning Saumir
From the son of Charly Foucault of Clos Rougear, Domaine du Collier ranks among the top producers in the Loire. Their Saumur La Charpentrie is considered to be an unofficial Grand Cru site in the Loire.
Antoine Foucault, son of the late Charly Foucault of Clos Rougeard, had long been preparing—alongside his partner Caroline—to take over the revered family estate. But following his father’s death, the Clos Rougeard was unexpectedly sold by his uncle, ending that dream. Though the loss still lingers, Antoine and Caroline channelled their experience and passion into building something of their own. In fact, the pair founded Domaine du Collier in 1999, releasing their first vintage the following year to critical acclaim in the French wine press. Today, the domaine ranks among the top producers in the Loire, its reputation built on soulful, age-worthy wines and meticulous, low-intervention farming.
The domaine comprises seven hectares of some of Saumur’s most beautiful terroirs, primarily planted to Chenin Blanc, with a small portion of Cabernet Franc. Most of the vines are old—some over a century in age—and are tended organically. Antoine's winemaking philosophy is rooted in minimal intervention and gentle élevage. Fermentations take place using indigenous yeasts, followed by long ageing in a subterranean network of cold limestone cellars 40 metres below ground, where the wines slowly evolve over 12 to 24 months in a mix of new and one-year-old barrels. They are bottled without fining or filtration, allowing each cuvée to express its site with purity and precision.
The domaine’s Saumur whites are among the most refined in the Loire, particularly the Saumur Blanc and Saumur Charpentrie Blanc.
The Saumur Blanc is sourced from 2.5 hectares on the coteaux of Brézé, where Chenin Blanc vines aged between 18 and 70 years grow on clay-limestone soils over tuffeau. Yields are modest—just 30 hl/ha—resulting in wines of tension, energy, and mineral drive.
The Charpentrie, meanwhile, comes from a tiny parcel in the lieu-dit ‘La Charpentrie’, where 100-year-old vines produce fruit of incredible concentration and structure. Widely regarded as an undesignated grand cru of Saumur, this site yields a wine of rare depth and precision, marked by citrus oil, crushed stone, and saline complexity.
Both wines are intricate, balanced, and quietly powerful—hallmarks of a domaine that continues to honour its legacy while forging its own remarkable path. We have a small amount of both wines, the Saumur Blanc from 2018 and the Charpentrie from 2014 with 10 years of age on it!
These wines have been stored perfectly in the Netherlands since release and come with perfect provenance and a competitive price tag on them, these are not bottles you come across every day.
Domaine du Collier Saumur Blanc 2018
€65* inc VAT per bottle
94 Points | Vinous, Rebecca Gibb MW
The 2018 Saumur Blanc, which Antoine Foucault refers to as his domaine white, is a salty wine as if someone gave a generous twist of the salt shaker, but that's soils of Brézé for you. It's refined with less tension than 2017 due to the season's warmth, making it approachable from release. Intriguingly floral, with honeydew melon, a whiff of smokiness (likely from Desaux barrels) and grilled nuts, alongside a pastry note. Long and classy.
Domaine du Collier Saumur La Charpentrie Blanc 2014
€119* inc VAT per bottle
Fine Wine Library Tasting Note:
The 2014 Saumur Blanc La Charpentrie is a beautifully mature Chenin Blanc that reveals the full elegance of Antoine Foucault’s understated winemaking and the singular terroir of Brézé. The nose opens with layers of preserved lemon, chamomile, and dried orchard fruit, followed by subtle notes of crushed chalk, beeswax, and a gentle oxidative nuance reminiscent of salted almonds. On the palate, the wine is silken and composed, offering a seamless balance between richness and tension. There's a quiet power beneath the surface—racy acidity and a fine mineral thread carry flavours of quince, citrus oil, and savoury herbs through to a long, chalky finish. Now a decade from vintage, the 2014 is entering a glorious drinking window, combining the textural depth of bottle age with the lifted precision that defines this remarkable site. A wine of grace, depth, and quiet persistence.
95 Points | Wine Advocate, Tasted October 2021
Bottled in November 2017, Collier's 2014 Saumur Blanc La Charpentrie is concentrated, deep and ripe on the clear nose. Intense and powerful but elegant on the palate, this is a firmly structured, dense and textured, highly complex and sustainable Chenin from 100-year-old vines. Impressive.
*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.