DROP 18
Drop 18
Ferme de la Sansonnière & Domaine Lassak
Martial Angeli is the next chapter of Anjou’s quietly iconic Ferme de la Sansonnière. His father, Mark Angeli, farmed organic and biodynamic long before it was a movement, setting a benchmark for Chenin Blanc driven by energy, balance, and place.
Today, father and son work side by side: farming first, minimal cellar work, no forcing. The wines are precise yet generous—quiet intensity, natural harmony, and real life in the glass. They don’t chase attention; they reward patience.
Domaine Lassak is one of those young German estates that feels less like a project and more like a statement. Based in Württemberg, Stefanie and Fabian Lassak work steep, terraced Muschelkalk slopes with a sharp, modern precision—Steffi shaped by Geisenheim plus formative time in Austria and Burgundy (including Comte Liger-Belair), Fabi grounding it all with serious viticulture know-how.
They farm biodynamically, keep the cellar work to the essentials, and build wines on tension rather than volume. Riesling is taut and mineral, Lemberger deep without heaviness, Pinot lifted and quietly serious. Small production, razor focus, and a calm confidence that makes it feel very clear: this is exactly where German wine is heading.
Inside the box
2024 — La Ferme de la Sansonnière (Chenin Blanc)
This is the Sansonnière calling card: Chenin that feels like pure voltage wrapped in quiet elegance. Expect lemon peel, quince, chamomile, a touch of waxy depth — then that classic Anjou “salty chew” that keeps tightening with air. It’s not about loud fruit; it’s about energy + mineral grip and the feeling that the wine is alive. La Lune drinks like a blend of the domaine’s soul: layered, restless, and insanely moreish.
Les Blanderies 2023 — La Ferme de la Sansonnière (Chenin Blanc)
Les Blanderies is where things get more “architectural”: still bright, but with deeper structure and a slow-building, mouthwatering pull. Think pear skin, yellow apple, wet stone, fennel/herbal lift — then a saline finish that makes you want food immediately. It’s Chenin that doesn’t perform; it holds — precise, grounded, and quietly intense.
Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies 2023 — La Ferme de la Sansonnière (Chenin Blanc)
Same DNA, but with the old-vine volume knob turned way up — not louder, just deeper. More bass notes (baked citrus, quince, dried herbs), more layered texture, and a finish that feels like it’s still unfolding minutes later. Everything here is slow-burn and deliberate: calm power, insane length, and a kind of natural harmony that only comes from old vines and patient élevage.
Riesling 2023 — Domaine Lassak (Hessigheim)
Muschelkalk Riesling with a super clean pulse: citrus zest, green apple, crushed stone, herbal snap — and that salty, chalky finish that keeps you reaching for the glass. It’s taut and mineral, but not skinny: there’s quiet texture underneath that gives it stamina and depth. Pure, precise, and absolutely built for both instant pleasure and serious cellaring.
Lemberger 2023 — Domaine Lassak (Württemberg)
This is Lemberger for people who like tension, not heaviness: sour cherry, wild berries, pepper, a little herbal edge — with fine, serious grip and a super fresh line through the finish. The vibe is more high-definition Blaufränkisch than “chunky red,” with lift and precision front and center. Alive, energetic, and dangerously drinkable — but with real structure.