2012 Ch̢teau de Br̩z̩ Clos de la Rue Saumur Blanc

Very pale peach skin color. Fresh melon and nectarine aromas are complicated by cream, lanolin and honey. Fleshy and smooth, showing a pure, bright orange quality and toasted wood nuances and then picking up nervier lime notes on the back of the palate. Suavely blends depth with vivacity and finishes with excellent clarity, balance and mineral persistence. While this property has long belonged to the Counts of Colbert, it was only with the arrival of Arnaud Lambert that the reputation of Ch̢teau de Br̩z̩ began to rise. After studying in both Bordeaux and Burgundy, he returned in 2006 to Domaine de Saint Just, which his father had purchased ten years earlier. When the two took control of the Ch̢teau de Br̩z̩ in January of 2009, the vineyards were in a disastrous state, but the progression since the vintage 2010--the first he calls truly his own--has been impressive, with the 2012s being the finest whites that I have ever tasted from this estate. Little by little he has turned the 25 hectares of vineyards over to organic farming and begun separating each of the eight parcels to highlight their individual character. The Ch̢teau de Br̩z̩ has long been known as the estate with the best potential for dry white Saumur. Now the results speak for themselves. (Joel B. Payne,)