Brendan Stater-West Saumur Rouge 2024 NO20231025 the wine that proved Napa

the wine that proved Napa could do a Bordeaux-style blend on its own terms

The wine sees long aging in foudre

but with a backbone of bitter sweet chocolate and snappy oak

It has great drive throughout and really fans out on the finish to leave a lingering echo of citrus oil and oyster shell intensity

bottled fresh to capture the lift and energy that this corner of Mendoza can show when nobody is trying to make it heavier than it wants to be

Brendan Stater-West Saumur Rouge 2024 NO20231025 the wine that proved NapaThe same American in Saumur story applies on the red side. Brendan Stater West, who came to France to teach and ended up as Romain Guiberteau's right hand before launching his own domaine, also makes Cabernet Franc, the red grape of Saumur. This is the entry level Saumur Rouge: 100% Cabernet Franc, organically farmed, fully de stemmed, fermented with indigenous yeast, and raised in stainless steel tank on the lees with no pumping over or punching