Damien Laureau

The Savennières appellation, including its ‘Grand Cru’ sub-appellations of Roche Aux Moines and Coulée de Serrant, is planted to just 156 hectares of vineyard (100% Chenin Blanc) and produces some of the most noble and age-worthy dry white wines of France. And today after just 20 years of winemaking and not having been born into or inheriting any vineyards, Damien Laureau is widely acclaimed as one of Savennières’ top producers.

Although he is often referred to as one of the appellation’s ‘new’ superstars, Damien now has nearly 20 vintages of experience behind him. Coming from a family farming background, he started out working with his uncle at a small vineyard in Anjou in the mid 1990s. By 1999 he had acquired his first vines in Savennières and in 2006 he abandoned the Anjou appellation to focus specifically on Savennières. Since then has gradually increased his vineyard sources through both acquisition and leasing, to the still very boutique total of 8.5 hectares.

Damien works organically in the vineyard and was certified organic in 2012. All harvesting is done by hand in successive tries throughout each vineyard to ensure the highest quality fruit, albeit at the expense of volume. The wines are vinified with natural yeasts and given extended lees contact without batonnage, to build texture but without excessive richness. The wines all go through malolactic conversion allowing a very low sulphur regime, whilst maintaining the freshness and minerality that Savennières is famous for. Maturation takes place in both tank and barrel depending on the wine, however new oak influence is not a part of the style.

2019 Damien Laureau Savennières L’Alliance
This is not a new cuvee, rather it represents the addition of wine from bush vines planted in 2014 in the Le Pitrouillet lieu-dit (located high up near the Moulin de Beaupreau further up the hill from Coulee de Serrant) which are blended with the juice from the La Petite Roche vineyard and Le Fresne just below the village of Savennieres as well as some of the press wine from the Les Genets cuvee. This vintage also marks the first vintage where Damiens wife Florence entered into the business with him - so the name and this cuvee are here to stay signifying these small changes and additions. Vinification and ageing are the same as for the La Petite Roche cuvee. Natural fermentation and ageing on lees in stainless steel tank during 10 months with malolactic fermention. Bottled with no fining or filtration. Finished wine contains 30 mg/l total SO2, residual sugar of 0.4 g/l and alc/vol 13%.
”In the glass the 2019 Savennières L’Alliance from Damien Laureau has a rich colour, with the faintest tinge of onion skin to the shimmering straw-coloured hue, suggesting some concentration. It takes half an hour or so to open up and get going, but when it does it has obvious appeal, more so than I was expecting bearing in mind the mixed origins of the fruit and the young age of the vines. The nose unfurls to release notes of honeysuckle, lightly baked apple, vanilla flower and orange zest. And the palate is not shaped in the big, bold and burly image of Savennières, instead it is wonderfully approachable; it has the grip and substance of Savennières, which feels appropriate, setting it apart from Anjou, yet it also feels light-footed, with a gently polished texture, releasing delicate floral fragrances as it glides across the palate. With some grip and a little warmth to the length this is a lovely wine of charm and approachability, and seems to me to be exactly how Savennières should be at this level. 92/100” Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, March 2021. 

2016 Damien Laureau Savennières Les Genêts - SOLD OUT
From a selection of the sandier soil terroirs, mostly from around the Moulin de Beaupréau. Tank fermented with indigenous yeast, then matured in barrel for 12 months, followed by a final elevage in tank for another 4-6 months. For this, his signature wine, only the heart of the pressings are kept for this cuvee yielding a wine of great purity and depth showing great polish and substance with the sandy terroirs giving perfume and finesse and the distinct minerality and grip underlying the core of fruit which perfectly represents the underlying schist of these terroirs.
'Golden. An approachable, modern, and generous style of Savennières. Complex nose of beeswax, honeysuckle, golden apple, lilac, and an underlying smokiness. Muscular and full-bodied on the palate, but pretty notes of ripe apricot, melon, and tangerine with hints of herb, salt, and honey and a long juicy finish. This has a long life ahead of it.' 94 points, Jason Wilson, Vinous Media, July 2020.

2016 Damien Laureau Savennières Roche Aux Moines - SOLD OUT
From a small 0.25 ha parcel rented from the Baron Brincard holdings in this famous vineyard, adjacent to Coulée de Serrant. Fermented and matured in older 400l barrels and bottled after 22 months aging on fine lees. A wine of great depth and power with great energy and very fine grip and structure. Impressive young and will age comfortably. A stunning vintage of this wine.
‘This is vinified in the same manner as the 2018 vintage, fermented and aged in barrels as for the ‘lesser’ cuvées, before it was bottled during the summer of 2018. It is beautifully expressive on the nose, minerally and flinty, with a firm reductive vein hiding seams of fruits, especially dried yellow plum skin and yellow pear. A beautiful style follows on the palate, with such a harmonious and focused character, gently composed too, the classic iron first in a velvet glove. Through the middle it displays great energy, fabulous structure and fine harmony, before in the finish it yields to a tingling acid drive. Long and gripped, this is a fabulous delight, which has years ahead of it.’ 97 points, Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, October 2020. 

The following wines due 2022

2018 Damien Laureau Savennières Les Genêts
From a selection of the sandier soil terroirs, mostly from around the Moulin de Beaupréau. Tank fermented, then matured in barrel for 12 months, followed by a final elevage in tank for another 4-6 months.
'If you're looking for a bold Chenin, the 2018 Les Genets is not it - and it's all the better for it. A rather quiet and tender wine with a subtle, refined nose of apples, Brazil nuts, almond macaroon and florals. While round, there's a sense of calm, purity and no heaviness. The gentle embrace of phenolics is so delicate that it leaves a gently satisfying texture throughout the mouth. There's a fine flush of acidity on the finish. Ends as it began, with calm and tranquility.' 94 points, Vinous Media, March 2021.
‘Damien pours this and immediately confesses he thinks he picked it too late. I have tasted it before and I already know he has nothing to worry about. The fruit comes from vines on sandy soil near Beaupréau and some lower down on the same hill which have since been pulled up. It was aged in 400-litre barrels with no new oak. After a few months in vat for the assemblage, it was bottled in April 2020. Aromatically it is smoky, with a white stone substance, and a slightly reductive style. The palate, meanwhile, is energetic, broad, substantial and charming, supple but with great acidity and fresh mineral. With its old-school structure yet modern composition, this is very attractive.’ 93 points, Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, October 2020. 

2018 Damien Laureau Savennières Le Bel Ouvrage
Bel Ouvrage comes from a selection of schist soil terroirs, giving a much firmer, long-lived wine. This includes the 2ha holding in Les Petites-Coulees located close to the western edge of Roche aux Moines as well as the 1.3ha parcel in the Chambourcier lieu-dit which adjacent to Chateau de Chamboureau located up above Coulee de Serrant. The wine is barrel fermented and aged in barrel for one year before racking into vat for ageing on the finest lees for another 6 months. Only the coeur de cuvee or heart of the pressings is used in this cuvee for the purest expression from his best soils. This produces a wine of substance built to age and develop over many years.
'This cuvée is sourced from vines planted on schist near Beaupréau, but also takes fruit from the vines on rhyolite in Chambourcier, further down the slope. In this vintage the harvest was finished before Les Genets, which perhaps explains Damien’s anxiety around that cuvée. The fermentation and élevage was the same as Les Genets, and it was bottled in May 2020. The nose is broad and energetic, with richly spiced white peach, in an expressive and smoky vein. The palate comes similarly polished, with a very correct style, and a spicy and fresh finish. I see great direction and precision here, in a wine of very good character. This should do well in the cellar for a few years.” 94 points, Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, October 2020. 

2018 Damien Laureau Savennières Roche Aux Moines
”From Damien’s micro-parcel within this exalted appellation, this was fermented and aged in barrels as for the ‘lesser’ cuvées, before bottling which was in July 2020. The nose is filled with the scents of fine yellow-stone minerality, with a sandy freshness and a fine reductive edge. Polished and elegant on the palate, the style here is rather precise and well formed. In the middle it feels rather smoky with struck flint, yet sweetly focused, with apricot, plum and stone fruits, livened up by notes of intertwined nuances of acacia and honeysuckle. I see incredible energy and focus here, in a cuvée which quite clearly has great potential for the cellar.” 96 points, Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, October 2020.