Lena Filliatreau Saumar Blanc

100% Chenin Blanc. Sourced from a single grower with certified-sustainable vines nearby in Saumur. Filliatreau harvests the fruit. The bunches are direct-pressed and fermented to complete dryness with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged in tank on its fine lees until the spring following the vintage. "Lena" is named for founder/proprietor Paul Filliatreau's wife.

Food Pairing: Oysters, shellfish, pan-seared cod, fish tartar; fresh goat cheese; chilled asparagus with lemon vinaigrette, roasted cauliflower or light pasta dishes. Or, enjoy this wine on its own as an aperitif.

Domaine Filliatreau, a large estate of about 50 hectares located near the city of Saumur, is run by Paul and Frédrik Filliatreau, père et fils. The vineyard of La Grande Vignolle, in the Saumur-Champigny appellation, rests atop a tufa-stone outcrop that runs along the Loire river for a number of kilometers. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the stone, a creamy colored limestone, was quarried for building some of the great monuments and châteaux of the Loire. The soil and subsoil of the vineyard are highly calcareous, which lends the Cabernet Franc grapes juicy flavors and good acidity.

The vines are of considerable age and yields are kept low. The wine is vinified in stainless-steel and bottled unfiltered. It is rich in red fruit flavors, with a touch of tobacco and licorice in the finish and has excellent aging potential. Paul Filliatreau, who twenty years ago did much to put the AOC Saumur-Champigny on the map of great wines, has resolved to go back to “older ways” of tending vines and found the principles of bio-dynamie well suited to this purpose.