We have a cult estate. Every three-star restaurant in France hustles to get a small allocation. No one in America, outside of the lucky few, has heard of it.

This estate has been in the family for several generations. Basically, the Foucault brothers (Nadi and Charlie) tend exceptional vineyards, harvest at small yields, vinify in barrel, let the wines bubble for a couple of years in a glacially cold cellar and bottle without filtration.

And what you get is the some of the top red wines of the Loire Valley and in the very top of France as a whole. Charles Joguet, the great winemaker of Chinon, once said: “there are two suns. One shines outside for everybody. The second shines in the Foucaults’ cellar.”

The rare Chenin Blanc from their vineyards (sometimes sec, sometines demi-sec or even moëlleux) has been described by Michel Bettane as “the quintessence of Chenin”. Bettane has tasted the 1921 and listed it as one of the most memorable wines of his life.

So have we.

Would you like to buy some? It is exceptionally expensive.

And it is sold out.

A.O.C Saumur-Champigny
A.O.C Saumur-Champigny "Les Poyeux"
A.O.C Saumur-Champigny "Le Bourg"