Domaine Arnaud Lambert Saumur Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg Les Perrières 2023 is a dry, tightly drawn Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, built on citrus and orchard fruit with a firm chalky spine. Sourced from vines planted in the mid-1960s on clay and sand over tuffeau limestone, it carries real depth without losing its cut.

The aroma leads with lemon peel, quince and white peach, then a quieter layer of chamomile, beeswax and crushed stone. Air brings a gentle roasted-nut warmth from the wine's twelve months in barrel and larger cask, a seasoning rather than a flavour in its own right.

Across the palate the fruit is ripe and generous, yet the acidity runs straight through the middle and keeps everything upright. Texture comes from lees and time rather than sweetness, giving a faintly waxy, mouth-coating feel that dries out into a long, saline, faintly bitter finish. The 2023 growing season in Saumur was a demanding one for Chenin Blanc, with heat, rain and disease pressure forcing careful sorting, and the wine that resulted rewards patience in the glass over quick judgement.

Pour it with roast chicken and tarragon, pork belly with apple, scallops, a smoked trout salad, or hard cheeses such as comté and aged gouda. Half an hour in a decanter and a proper white-wine glass do more for it than a deep chill.

Drinking well from 2025 and holding comfortably through to around 2031.