Fabien Duveau

Fabien Duveau makes his wines in a deep limestone cave dug in the 14th century from the same beautiful creamy white sandstone that later went to build the great Loire chateaux. His cellar is located in the narrow main street of Chacé, only a few doors from the Foucault house and cellars where for many years visitors came to taste Clos Rougeard wines. The caves were first used as dwellings for the Saumurois, though the constant chill and humidity levels they bring are more perfectly suited for winemaking and storage than human habitation. The domaine, in Fabien’s family since the late 18th century, now spreads over 16 hectares around the neighbouring villages of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg, Varrains and Brézé.

The name Champigny derives from the Latin Campus Ignis (fields of fire), a reference to the relative heat of the microclimate, the warmest in Saumur. Crucial to the freshness of the wines is, Fabien notes, “the land’s ability to store this heat by day and diffuse it by night.” Being positioned at the eastern edge of the maritime zone tempers extreme heat during the growing season, though raises temperatures substantially in the winter. Protected from Atlantic moisture by the gently sloping hills to the west, Saumur-Champigny vineyards see some of the driest conditions in the region, with Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg the most arid.

Brézé lies just to the south of the border of Saumur Champigny and it notable not only for its UNESCO listed Chateau de Brézé, but also its gentle though notable hill of limestone covered in sand as distinct to the richer clay based top-soil more common around Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg (which also shares the same limestone tuffeau deeper down). A low plateau of tuffeau, the yellow-white calcareous rock so distinctive of the central Loire, rises at the eastern edge of the town of Saumur and continues southeast, running under Fabien’s holdings. Tuffeau retains water as other limestones do, and drains more effectively, protecting against hydric stress while releasing water to the vines as needed. Overlaying the tuffeau is a mix of sand clay and limestone.

For winemaking all wines are fermented with native yeast and his reds are 100 % destemmed and whites whole bunch pressed. No SO2 is used in the elevage until bottling with minimal safe levels. Fabien attributes the fine velvety tannins, vivid fruit, and appetising freshness of his Cab Francs and the forceful intensity of his Chenins to this soil composition. His aim is to allow the personality of each parcel to come through clearly in his wines. To this end he emraced organic and then bio-dynamic practices in the vineyards to enable each plot to fully express itself.

At about the time Fabien converted the family holdings to organics, Saumur-Champigny growers were banding together to establish Ecological Zone Reservoirs (EZR) — border areas of bushes, trees, and creepers, designed to provide year-round shelter, food, and breeding sites for helpful insects, birds, and animals. “Proximity to the plot encourages exchanges between the EZR and the vine. Grasses around the plot and the presence of vegetation between the rows accentuate these exchanges,” Fabien explains.

In the vineyards, Fabien has a mix of clones, though his oldest plots (mostly planted in 1960’s) are of massale selections. All training is guyot and yields are carefully controlled. Fabien vinifies and bottles separately his holdings in Les Hautes (upper) and Les Bas (lower) Poyeux. (Clos Rougeard made this site famous, and have only ever bottled as just Poyeux - and only in Cabernet Franc.) Fabien makes a distinction based on vine age (older vines in Bas Poyeux), soil composition, elevation, and orientation, which leads him to take a different course in the cellar as well.

Les Hauts Poyeux sports the famous Poyeux sand, which runs to a depth of 80 cm before the first clay over limestone. Fabien gives this wine a long maceration, or as he says, ‘essentially an infusion’ allowing the aromatics to be linked to this soil texture. Aging for 12 to 18 months further refines the aromatics and shows the finesse of tannins in this amazing terroir.

Bas Poyeux is lower, with shallow (20 cm) sandy soils over clay and limestone. This gives the limestone an opportunity to shine through. Fabien uses half concrete vats and half barrels for the ageing to show out the depth and complexity of this site.

The richness of this terroir is also expressed in the Duveau chenin. He’s also the only producer we know of that releases a Chenin from Poyeux, from his tiny holding of 0.8 ha. And it’s from 40+ year-old vines to boot. The successive soil layers (sand, clay, limestone) give the white Poyeuxits seamless elegance, finesse and minerality. An outstanding Chenin by any measure.

Dry whites

2023 Hunaudière Saumur blanc (St-Cyr) 750ml + 1500ml
100% Chenin Blanc from a cooler north facing vineyard in the village of Saint Cyr en Bourg from vines more than 20 yo. Whole bunch pressed and fermented with natural yeast 80% in concrete vat and 20% in aged barrels before being blended and aged for 6 months on fine lees before bottling. Ripe orchard fruit aromatics with freshness and lift. Supple fresh and finely structured on the palate with medium body and bright acidity giving very good length. Bottled un-fined, with a light filtration, in March 2024.

2022 Poyeux Saumur blanc (Chacé) 750ml + 1500ml
The only white wine to be released from this famed vineyard close to the family winery. From a tiny plot of just 8 ares (0.08 ha) of Chenin blanc vines in the village of Chacé planted in 1976. Fermented in barrel with 1 new barrel and just a few barrels going through malolactic (only 10 barrels produced in 2022) has resulted in this wine showing bright round lifted orchard fruit aromas with ripe softly textured fruit of beautiful purity on the palate finishing long, silky and bone dry. Bottled un-fined, with a light filtration.

2022 Bois du Chene Saumur blanc (Brézé) 750ml + 1500ml
Just 400 bottles produced from this tiny holding of the hill of Brézé from vines planted in 1960. Fermented in a new 300 litre barrel and aged for 18 months on fine lees with no SO2 added until bottling. Further ageing in bottle before release this year resulting in a wine of great depth and dimension. While still youthful this wine shows great reserve and will age effortlessly. This wine wants time to develop and show its best. Bottled un-fined, with a light filtration.

Dry reds

100% destemmed and fermented with natural yeast and slow pressing and aged with no addition of SO2 until a small safe amount for bottling. Fabien Duveau’s attention to detail regarding his Cabernet Franc is impressive, and the wines are vinified adapting to each vineyard site.

2022 Menais Saumur Champigny (Varrains) 750ml only
100% Cabernet Franc from vines averaging 30 yo located in Varrains just north of Saint Cyr-en-Bourg with sand over Turonian limestone. 100% de-stemmed and fermented with indigenous yeast in concrete tank for 6 months with a very gentle maceration using infusion and no pump overs and no SO2 until bottling. Very expressive and perfumed and made in a pure juicy and early drinking style. Very fresh aromatic and fine with lovely light texture and a hint of peppery freshness with just enough tannin this is a perfect wine for spring and summer early drinking. Super attractive now and great drinking and refreshment even in the warmer months. Bottled un-fined, with a light filtration.

2023 Bourg Saumur Champigny (Varrains) 750ml + 1500ml
100% Cabernet Franc from vines located in Varrains between Saumur and Saint Cyr-en-Bourg planted 1966 on sandy loam over greenish coloured Turonian limestone. 100% de-stemmed and fermented with indigenous yeast this has a very gentle vinification using maceration with no pump overs. In 2023 this is all aged in concrete tanks to preserve the freshness and purity. Very fresh fine and expressive yet also quite restrained. Would benefit from decanting to show its best, this has obvious ageing potential. Bottled un-fined and unfiltered.

2022 Bas Poyeux Saumur Champigny (Chacé) 750ml + 1500ml
100% Cabernet Franc from vines planted in 1960 on clayey-sandy silt over limestone (90cms below). 100% de-stemmed and fermented with indigenous yeast in tank after separating free run and press juices with no SO2 for elevage and just a tiny amount of SO2 at bottling after 10 months in 50% tank and 50% in barrel. Very fleshy and perfumed yet fine. Gives immediate pleasure with ripe expressive red fruits showing very good depth and complexity. Pure pleasure and a joy to drink young. Bottled un-fined, with a light filtration.

2021 Les Hautes Poyeux Saumur Champigny (Chacé) 750ml only
100% Cabernet Franc from vines planted in 1980 on sandy-clayey silt over limestone. 100% de-stemmed and fermented with indigenous yeast in tank then 12 months ageing in older barrels before blending in tank and bottling with minimal SO2 with no fining or filtering. Deeper colour and very fine and pure on the palate with a big step up in expression and complexity this shows real finesse of tannins and structure and is a very beautiful expression of variety and site. A serious and stunning Saumur rouge that will age effortlessly. Very limited. Bottled un-fined, with a light filtration.