Domaine des Baumard Savennieres sec Clos St Yves / 2019 / 375mL

Description:

The Domaine des Baumard Savennières sec Clos St Yves 2019 is a dry Chenin Blanc from Savennières in the Loire Valley, built on quince, citrus and chalky mineral drive rather than richness. This 375mL half bottle holds a wine of real tension, and its smaller format brings that character forward sooner than a full bottle would.

Green apple, ripe apricot and lemon curd lead the aromatics, with white blossom, beeswax and a faint smoky, flinty edge that is very much the Savennières signature. The warm, dry 2019 season shows in the depth of the stone fruit, which sits fuller than the wine's lean frame first suggests.

Fermented and aged nine months in stainless steel on fine lees with no oak, the Clos St Yves keeps its fruit unmasked and its texture taut. The lees work lends a subtle creaminess across the middle, while firm acidity and a dry, saline finish pull everything back into line and carry length well past the last sip.

Pour it with roast chicken and tarragon, seared scallops, pork belly with apple, or a washed-rind cheese. A half bottle is the right call for a table of two, a solo midweek dinner, or as the white course in a longer meal without committing to a full bottle.

Drinking well now and through to around 2028, though half bottles evolve faster than 750mL, so this one rewards earlier attention.