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2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain
Influenced not only by the father of biodynamics, Rudolf Steiner, but also by Steiner’s predecessor Goethe, Thierry Germain embodies the intellectual quest for excellence that animates a good number of today’s most exciting producers. You might say, “It’s just wine,” but I dare you to taste this bottling with that mindset and not change your tune. This Saumur Champigny is electric and alive, from the first scent of roses on the nose to the juxtaposition of textured tannic grip and sheer weightlessness on the palate. It’s as complex as the mind that made it.
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Saumur Champigny |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Thierry Germain |
Winemaker: | Thierry Germain |
Vineyard: | 1.2 ha, 12 years |
Soil: | Sand, limestone |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
France | Loire
Outre Terre is a tiny production of Cabernet Franc fermented in amphora and aged in barrel.

2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
France | Loire
This sparkling wine has decadently rich, honeyed fruit and a nice dollop of buttery brioche.

2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
France | Loire
Thierry’s Saumur Blancs are bone-dry, high-acid, mineral Chenin Blancs that drink like Chablis young and take on weight slowly over time.

2023 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
France | Loire
Made from nearly hundred-year-old vines, this a great initiation into the world of Thierry’s white wines.

2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
France | Loire
This chiseled Chenin Blanc comes from 70-year-old vines planted on an ancient limestone slope. Burgundian-like in character from its time spent in barrel, the laser-like acidity will become even more enticing with some age.

2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
France | Loire
This dry Chenin Blanc is etched from the white limestone beneath—crystalline, pure, and chiseled.

2021 Saumur Champigny “Terres Chaudes”
France | Loire
Thierry has perfected the art of coaxing this Cabernet Franc’s soulfulness and elusive finesse into bottle.

2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
France | Loire
Germain’s reds are grand examples of the heights biodynamic wines can achieve.

2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
France | Loire
Thierry Germain’s meticulous process coaxes out the delicate and aromatic side of Chenin Blanc—think jasmine, honeysuckle, and peach.

2023 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
France | Loire
March Club Rouge ~ The 2023 vintage has its trademark elegance, with notes of blackberries, forest, and graphite.
About The Producer
Thierry Germain
Thierry relocated to the Loire from Bordeaux in the early 1990s, and soon fell under the influence of his spiritual father, Charly Foucault of Clos Rougeard. Thierry would ultimately convert his entire domaine to biodynamic viticulture, which was the equivalent of his wine epiphany. Listening and observing his plants, allowing them to guide him, revolutionized his way of thinking. Thierry harvests on the relatively early side to preserve fresh, vibrant fruit. His goal is to produce Cabernet with purity, finesse, and drinkability, while avoiding rusticity, vegetal character, and hard tannins. When it comes to his Chenin, he makes bone dry, high acid, mineral wines that drink like Chablis young and take on weight slowly over time. Aging takes place in large oval foudres (for the whites) and round foudres and demi-muids (for the reds) in Thierry’s frigid tuffeau cellars below his winery in Varrains. His incredibly diverse terroirs are translated with utter clarity and precision.
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2023 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2023 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
Vintage Chart Mentality

Vintage Chart Mentality
Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch