Damien Laureau was singled out by La Revue de Vin de France as “undoubtedly the future star of Savennieres.” He works out of a tiny shed and farms his vineyards of chenin blanc fully organically. The vineyards hum with wildlife and indigenous plants rise among the vine rows. Damien has begun experimenting with harvesting the chenin just when the grapes turn yellow instead of the traditional green grapes of Savennieres, to take advantage of the richness the sun brings. His yields are very low and the combination of his vines’ health with the later harvests result in wines of remarkable balance, concentration, richness, and lively, bright acidities. These are entirely new expressions of Savennieres–humming with a solar glow that, twinned to the classic stone core of the ancestral expressions of chenin from the region, allows the grape to find a new lushness of rock and light.

Bel Ouvrage is made from a blend of three vineyards in eastern Savennières near Épiré. The vines are on grey schist and rhyolite. The grapes are hand harvested and fermented with natural yeasts in tank. The wine ages for 12 months in French oak barrels before another 11 months in tank. This wine is all smoke and grilled pears, fresh apples, and a field full of white flowers, almonds, and herbs.