In 2011, Brendan Stater-West left Portland for the Loire Valley, quickly becoming an integral part of Domaine Guiberteau. By 2015, he had taken the reins of a hectare in Bizay, Les Châpaudaises, where a thin veil of loamy clay meets the storied tuffeau limestone, setting the stage for Chenin Blanc that captivates with its structural elegance and piercing clarity. Fermentation for this wine happened naturally in stainless steel, followed by eighteen months in used oak barrels from Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, precisely to honor the verticality and nuanced salinity that limestone imparts. Harvested three days ahead of the nearby Clos de Guichaux, Stater-West’s Chenin boasts a pronounced texture, embodying his aim for a style that balances austerity with energetic fruit.