Wines Saumur Brendan Stater-West - 2020

This 2020 Saumur Rouge by Brendan Stater-West hails from the renowned Anjou-Saumur subregion, situated in the heart of France’s Loire Valley. While cépage details are not explicitly confirmed, red Saumur wines are commonly crafted from Cabernet Franc, occasionally blended with other varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Pineau d’Aunis. The 2020 vintage offered favourable growing conditions in the Loire, often resulting in wines with ripe yet balanced fruit. Brendan Stater-West has earned a reputation for a thoughtful, terroir-driven approach to vinification, emphasising finesse and transparency. Expect a wine featuring bright red and black fruit notes, a supple frame, and an underlying freshness characteristic of the area’s chalky tuffeau soils.

The Saumur appellation enjoys a temperate climate, influenced by the Loire river, which helps moderate temperatures and prolong the growing season. The soils here are predominantly composed of soft limestone known as tuffeau, lending a distinctive mineral lift and elegance to the wines. Historically, Saumur has been celebrated for both its sparkling and still wines, with its reds gaining increasing recognition for their purity and gastronomic versatility.

When it comes to food pairings, Saumur Rouge is exceptionally food-friendly due to its moderate tannins and lively acidity. Classic regional dishes such as rillauds d’Anjou (slow-cooked pork), roasted poultry, or a hearty mushroom fricassée pair well. It also makes a lovely match with vegetable tarts, grilled lamb chops, or goat’s cheese, linking back to the Loire’s culinary traditions.

For optimal enjoyment, serve this wine slightly cool at around 15-16°C. Decanting for thirty minutes could help unlock its bouquet and refine the texture, allowing the savoury and mineral nuances to emerge alongside the vivid fruit. This Saumur Rouge promises both immediate pleasure and the potential for a few more years of graceful development in the cellar.