2022 Les Poyeux Saumur-Champigny, Domaine des Sables Verts

• Style: Vibrant, pure Cabernet Franc
• Taste: Blackcurrant, grilled pepper, silky tannins, bright spice
• Food: Roast dinners, stews, cured meats, game, beef
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, date night
• Serve: 13.5% abv, drink now or cellar 3–5 years

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Les Poyeux arrives with the rich, immediate generosity Saumur-Champigny is known for: ripe blackcurrant and grilled red pepper on the nose. The palate is where the wine justifies its Decanter 92 score—silky tannins and a fine balance between sweet spice and bright acidity create a wine that feels both relaxed and structured. Pure, unforced, with none of the leafiness that under-ripe Cabernet Franc can show.

The Winery — Domaine des Sables Verts

Caroline Meurée and Hervé Malinge, a young winemaking duo trained in Bordeaux, established this 16-hectare organically farmed estate in 2019 at the heart of Saumur-Champigny. The vineyard sprawls across five communes—Varrains, Chacé, Saumur, Souzay-Champigny, and Parnay—planted on distinctive deep silica-limestone and green sand ('sables verts') soils that inspired the domaine's name. The 2022 vintage came at perfect ripeness: a relatively dry winter and spring pushed growth ahead of schedule, and July heat eliminated mildew risk. Hand-harvested from the storied 1.8-hectare Les Poyeux parcel, planted in the 1950s, the fruit saw 20 days of maceration in stainless steel on indigenous yeasts with minimal sulphite, then 16 months in barrel. The result is restrained, food-first winemaking at its finest.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Built for the table rather than display, this is the wine to reach for when you want something that suits everything from a casual weeknight to a dinner party without pretension. Roasted duck, lamb, and game all find a natural home here, as do aged goat cheese and charcuterie. At 13.5% abv and vegan-certified, it drinks with immediate generosity yet rewards a second glass. A debut single-vineyard release that arrives fully formed, this wine speaks to anyone seeking depth and balance in Loire red. Explore the rest of our Cabernet Franc selection to see how the variety moves across regions and producers.