• Etienne Bodet & Maison Bodet-Hérold

    • Saumur Rouge Clarum

    At a Glance

    • Variety: Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Grolleau
    • Surface Area: 2.0 ha (4.94 ac) split into 2 cuvées - this and Clos des Vaudelles
    • Terroir: Les Vaudelles ("small valley"), facing Clos Durandière, cooler site, late ripening, clay soil with Oxfordian marl.
    • Viticulture: Organic, biodynamic practices, Guyot-Poussard pruning.
    • Vinification: Harvested around 12-12.5% abv, 100% whole cluster, ambient yeast fermentation, light punch-downs by foot, pressed after 3 days of fermentation, transferred to barrels (mostly used) to continue fermentation and age for 10 months on the lees.

    Additional Info

    Notes from Etienne: "Clos des Vaudelles covers just under 2 hectares. I decided to vinify this strip of land in two different ways. First, Clos des Vaudelles, with maceration and long aging, like Clos Durandière. I also created Clarum. This Clarum is a tribute to my family. The photo on the label is of the 1947 harvest of the Bodet family on this same Vaudelles terroir. At the time, clairet was the dominant wine production in Montreuil-Bellay. This wine is made from hybrids of Gamay, Cabernet, and Grolleau to produce a simple, easy-drinking wine. I strive for a gastronomic style, juicy and saline, aged in used barrels. Of course, Fleur de Pinot by Sylvain Pataille was a source of inspiration, but I can also mention the rosé from Château Simone. I'm also looking for another winemaking style to break the angular structure of Cabernet Franc through a less conventional approach."