Sébastien Bobinet
LOIRE
An appellation renowned for its red Cabernet Franc, Saumur-Champigny found favour in the 1970s and 80s for “easy”, characterless red wines. Then, in the years 1990-2000, a handful of producers came along, seeking high quality grapes and true expression of the terroirs. Sébastien Bobinet is one such winemaker.
The 7th generation of a Saumurois wine-growing family, Sébastien Bobinet created his estate in 2002 by taking over the family vines – 1.8 ha of Cabernet Franc and Chenin – located around Dampierre-sur-Loire on the hillside of the terroir of tuffeau, the soft white limestone rock characteristic of the Saumur-Champigny appellation. From the outset, influenced by winegrowers such as Olivier Cousin, his desire was to produce wines with respect for the soil and plants, without chemicals, as naturally as possible. He expanded his estate in 2010 by adding 2 hectares of Cabernet Franc, and, with the help of his partner Emeline Calvez, he varied his cuvées, between more “classic” maceration and carbonic maceration.