Domaine des Baumard
For decades, Jean Baumard's wines were benchmarks for Savennières, Coteaux du Layon, and Quarts de Chaume - his wines have every component in place, so technically perfect and so polished they seem to be the product of a scientist. Which, in fact he is, as a lecturer at the University of Angers in wine making he taught many of France’s leading wine makers. Jean was very much a man before his time introducing such things as a gravitational flow in his winery rather than pumping the juice and wine (which can cause bruising) many years before anyone else. His son Florent, who took over in 1996, has added some soul. There is no doubt that Florent Baumard is one of the shining lights in France's winemaking present and future. He is constantly experimenting in both the vineyard and winery looking for ways to improve things, which are already excellent! He is making twenty different wines on only 30 hectares of vines. Since taking over he has been Clive Coates’ Sweet White Wine Maker of the Year twice and won Wine Spectator’s Victor Ludorum of the Loire.