Chai de la Dive Saumur Rosé Les Moulins

If you’re a fan of Chenin Blanc or Cabernet Franc, you may recognize the names Guiberteau and Stater-West. Guiberteau’s wines have reached near-legendary status, especially their Brézé Chenin Blanc, which was already commanding three-digit prices more than five years ago. On release, these wines can be almost painfully wound up — driven by intense acidity and built for serious aging, often needing 7+ years in bottle to really warrant pulling a cork. Brendan Stater-West is one of the newer names making waves in the Loire, and he’s friends with the next generation of the Guiberteau family. His wines quickly became favorites among the cool natural wine bars, and while I [Chris] can be cool, I’m not always into the natty stuff [unlike Jess 😂]. As Brendan’s winemaking has evolved, though, we’ve both found ourselves appreciating these wines more and more. With Chai de la Dive, Brendan teamed up with Camille Guiberteau and Alex Crochet to source fruit from trusted growers and create something a little more approachable in its youth — and much easier on the wallet. This rosé comes from several Cabernet Franc vineyards, quickly macerated and fermented in stainless steel with native yeast. It captures one of the things I love most about rosé: it tastes like itself. There’s this agave-y thing going on with hibiscus and salt, almost like a Paloma cocktail — just a little more elegant. Basically a total summer must-try.

We love it with… Honestly? No food required for this one. But if we were hungry, we’d make some guacamole topped with salsa negra from Seattle-local Milpa Masa.

Type: Rosé
Vintage: 2025
Size: 750mL
ABV: 12.5%
Grape: Cabernet Franc
Region: Saumur, Loire, France
Vinification: Organic grapes, purchased and occasionally domaine farmed. Pressed with whole-clusters, ambient yeast fermentations, aging for 6+ months in steel and concrete tanks, filtered, SO2 added during vinification and adjusted during aging if needed (40-60 ppm total at bottling).

For the nerds: The word “Chai” refers to a wine cellar in French. “La Dive” is a nod to the village of Saint-Just-sur-Dive, the historic home of Domaine Guiberteau, and also evokes the nearby La Dive River.