View the full available range from Cep by Cep here. For those new to this producer, the wines come from an Anjou-based micro-négoce started by Philippe Germain with his brother, Thierry Germain (of Roches Neuves fame), acting as a consultant. Thierry is no longer involved with the project, though the wines have not missed a beat. With Phillippe Germain’s Château de la Roulerie vineyards now contributing the lion’s share of the fruit, each vintage sees a further layer of quality added to wines that showcase the vibrant, earth-to-glass Germain style. In the vineyards, Germain’s ethics and work are a chip off the old block, and the sites are managed according to organic principles, with hand-harvesting, minimal intervention, etc., being the norm. There are three wines in the range. The Chenin Blanc comes from 100% hand-harvested fruit, organically grown in Rochefort-sur-Loire, just south of the river and opposite Savennières. Unlike the Roches Neuves vineyards in Saumur, where limestone dominates, the vineyards of western Anjou are influenced by the schist-rich, volcanic soils of the Massif Armoricain. This type of rock imparts a spicy, stony bite to the dry Chenin of the area. The corresponding red is a bright and juicy Cabernet Franc, hand-harvested from vines rooted in gravelly shale soils. Finally, there is a versatile ‘sticky’, a Coteaux du Layon cropped from Philippe Germain’s estate vineyards that showcases the lighter and more delicate side of Layon. All the wines represent terrific value.