Warm, intense and with super ripe yet refined and precise dark fruit, spicy toast and flint aromas open the 2019 Saumur Champigny Franc de Pied, which comes from a huge layer of sandy soil that has been planted at a high density of 10,000 vines per hectare. Fermented with whole clusters, the fruit is generous and elegant on nose and palate, pure and refined but rich and aromatic. This is a full-bodied and generous but finessed and fresh red with a marvelous texture and perfectly balanced fruit. The wine is superb, and although there might be more exciting terroirs, the silky texture and refreshing grip is unique, probably due to the antique vines and the whole-cluster fermentation, a method that is quite rare in Saumur. This Franc de Pied is fabulous, pure, fresh and crunchy and reminds me of finest Austrian Blaufr?nkisch. Tasted in June 2021.