{"product_id":"brendan-stater-west-saumur-la-ripaille-2020-75cl","title":"Brendan Stater-West, Saumur, La Ripaille 2020 - 75cl","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrendan Stater-West is the American who learned Cabernet Franc at the elbow of Romain Guiberteau, one of Saumur's finest, then struck out on his own. La Ripaille is his single-vineyard statement: a 1.1-hectare west-facing parcel in the commune of Brézé, planted with Cabernet Franc back in the 1960s. This is old-vine fruit from one hallowed slope, not a blend of many.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrézé is the grand cru heart of Saumur, and the reason is underfoot: sandy loam over Turonian limestone that runs deep. That chalk gives the wine its spine and its distinctive mineral cut. Stater-West sorts in the vineyard, ferments whole-berry in concrete with a gentle week-long infusion, then ages the wine on its lees in ex-Guiberteau barrels, mostly seasoned, with just one new barrel added each year. The oak is a frame, never a flavour.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2020 is a beauty. Earth and spice frame deep black raspberry and dark berry fruit, with a peppery, faintly herbal lift that is pure Loire Cabernet Franc. The structure is there but supple, the fruit juicy, and that limestone gives a mouth-watering, focused close. Serve it with a slight chill and it comes alive. This is serious Saumur from a rising star, drinking well now and good for a decade in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow to Serve\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eServe at 15-16°C, even lightly chilled, in a Burgundy-style glass. A 30-minute decant suits the young 2020, opening the fruit and softening the fine tannin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhere to Drink It\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNoble Rot, whose Loire list is among London's best and would revel in this. The River Cafe for a Cab Franc beside seasonal Italian cooking. Wolseley for a grown-up glass at lunch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFood Pairings\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMade for roast duck breast with a cherry or blackberry reduction, the fruit and acidity cutting the richness. It also loves a plate of charcuterie and cornichons.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"House of Decant","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53674800709956,"sku":"HO20804B20","price":38.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0858\/2551\/9940\/files\/HUB-10306948-1-IB-STOCK-N_1_ef074f86-2756-428e-8836-4c8544013293.png?v=1731424266","url":"https:\/\/checkout.houseofdecant.com\/products\/brendan-stater-west-saumur-la-ripaille-2020-75cl","provider":"House of Decant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}