Domaine Guiberteau, Saumur, Rouge 2021 - 75cl

Romain Guiberteau is one of the reasons Saumur has become a name serious drinkers chase. Working the limestone slopes around Brézé, he makes Cabernet Franc with the poise of good red Burgundy — and this Saumur Rouge is his calling card, the bottle that shows what the domaine is about without the price of the single-vineyard cuvées.

Cabernet Franc grown on Saumur's tuffeau limestone has a particular signature, and it's all here in the 2021: red and black cherry, raspberry leaf, a twist of graphite and crushed stone, that classic Loire note of pencil shavings. Ambient-yeast fermentation and ageing that leans on tank and older wood rather than new oak keep the fruit clean and the wine transparent. It's medium-bodied, finely tannic, threaded with bright acidity — a red built for drinking rather than showing off.

This is a proper house red for people with good taste. Open it midweek without ceremony, or lay a few bottles down for three or four years and watch the savoury, tobacco-tinged side emerge.

How to Serve

Serve at 15–16°C, cool enough to keep it lively. A medium Burgundy glass works well. A short 20-minute decant helps a young bottle, but it's not essential.

Where to Drink It

Noble Rot, spiritual home of the Loire in London. The Wolseley for an easy supper. Dandy for something informal and wine-led.

Food Pairings

Roast chicken or a charcuterie board is all it asks for. It also handles a mushroom risotto beautifully.