Domaine Guiberteau, Saumur, Arboises 2019 - 75cl
A quick word to set the record straight: Guiberteau's Les Arboises is a red — 100% Cabernet Franc — not one of the domaine's celebrated Chenin whites. It is Romain Guiberteau's tête-de-cuvée red, drawn from old vines on the great limestone hill of Brézé in Saumur, and it stands among the most serious expressions of Cabernet Franc in the Loire.
Guiberteau farms some of the best sites on Brézé, working organically and with minimal intervention. Brézé's deep tuffeau limestone is the key: it gives the reds a cool, mineral spine and a purity that sets them apart from the fleshier Cabernet Francs of Chinon or Bourgueil. Les Arboises is one of the few Guiberteau wines to see oak — fermented in concrete, then aged around 18 months in barrel with about 20% new — a light frame around fruit of real intensity.
The 2019 opens deep and toasty, with fresh blackcurrant and red currant, a lift of mint and crushed herb, and the varietal's signature note of red bell pepper woven through rather than dominating. The palate is concentrated but energetic, with fine chalky tannins, bright acidity and a damp-earth minerality that gives it length and grip. This is Cabernet Franc with tension and class, built to age.
Serve it to anyone who thinks Loire reds are light and simple — this one will change their mind.
How to Serve
Serve at 16-17°C in a Bordeaux-style glass. Still young, it opens up with a decant of an hour or so, which softens the tannins and lets the fruit push past the herbal edge.
Where to Drink It
Noble Rot, natural home of serious Loire. Brat in Shoreditch for the fire and the freshness. The Dandy on Maltby Street for a wine-led night.
Food Pairings
Roast lamb with herbs, or grilled tuna — Cabernet Franc's freshness handles both. A goat's cheese course would flatter its mineral side.
