When Antoine Sanzay joined the family domaine in 1999 he was the 6th generation to do so. Antoine’s journey into the wine world was not a typical smooth succession. Antoine had just turned 10 when, just as his grandfather was verging on retirement, his father tragically passed away.
While Antoine’s father was a wine lover, his grandfather was the opposite. Grape growing was just one element of a poly-culture, and by no means the most important to him. What mattered was to work the land for a living, with all the grapes sold to the local co-operative.
With no one to learn from, Antoine started everything from scratch with no mentor nor existing clients. “I didn’t have any inherited legacy or familial pressure.” While having to rely on his wits, this gave great freedom to experiment. “I think it can be easier for the children to start with a new name than following their father’s legacy with all the baggage that can come with it” admitted Antoine.
While he may have learned on his own, he got inspiration and support from many great Loire personalities, including Les Freres Foucault, Thierry Germain, Guy Bossard, Bernard Baudry, Jo Pithon& Jo Landron. In 2002 Antoine made his first vintage.
Antoine slowly started switching to organic practices, away from the chemicals previously used by his grandfather. In 2007, Antoine started experimented in organic viticulture and he converted the vineyards in 2011 and became certified bio and Ecocert in 2014. 2014 was also his first vintage where he bottled his entire production and stopped selling to the local co-operative, Antoine admitted “I started with almost nothing and I needed the local cooperative to help me financially”.
Throughout the range there is stylistic continuity, with great tension, vibrant fruit harnessed to linear precision. The reds show a brilliantly judged balance between intense fruits, brooding matière, croquant tannic grip, and a lingering floral element mixed with lovely bite.