Domaine Guiberteau Saumur 2018 Magnum

Grape: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2018
Type: White

This white is Guiberteau's entry-level Saumur Blanc, chenin drawn from estate parcels around Saint-Just-sur-Dive rather than a single named site. At 13% alcohol it carries more ripeness than the domaine's cooler-sited bottlings, a mark of the warm 2018 vintage. It is the wine that shows what Guiberteau's house style looks like without a specific hill attached to it. The magnum has given it a slower, steadier development since bottling.

It displays a bright gold color, opening with aromas of ripe pear, honeysuckle, and beeswax. On the palate, the medium-bodied frame is rounder than Guiberteau's Brézé bottlings, balancing orchard fruit against a still-present mineral thread. Texture leads over austerity here, with a soft, almost creamy midpalate. Acidity is moderate but keeps the wine from turning heavy. It finishes clean and fruit-forward, with the chalk showing only at the very end.