Chinon adopts Touraine's ophans!

Château du Petit Thouars, Saint Germain-sur-Vienne

Finally there is good news for the producers growing Cabernet Franc and Chenin in western Touraine, so cruelly orphaned by their heartless parents, AC Touraine, in their insane pursuit of grape purity: they have been adopted by AC Chinon. The producers of Chinon turned good Samaritan on the 15th March when they voted to extend the appellation to the west and accept producers in communes like Lerne, Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne and Seuilly.

The vote at 60% for and 40% against was a comfortable majority if not an overwhelming endorsement. Perhaps there was a feeling that Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne had its chance be part of the Chinon AC when it was created in 1937 but the Mayor at the time turned it down fearing that being part of AC Chinon would push up taxes. The vineyards joining Chinon, some 70 years late, have the same limestone and clay soils as those in communes like Ligre on the south side of the Vienne.

The next move is down to the INAO who will have to delimit the area that can be admitted and revise the appellation's cahier de charge (criteria). This will take a while but producers like Châteaux du Petit Thouars and Trochoire will be part of the Chinon appellation by 2014. Because they grow the traditional varieties – Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc – in the Pays de Rabelais, they were to be excluded from the 'reformed' Touraine appellation under its ludicrous restrictive and regimented rules. Does a surfeit of Sauvignon Blanc drive you insane!?

Château du Petit Thouars, Saint Germain-sur-Vienne

Robert Parker on management: intriguing comments on Liv-ex blog

Pancho Campo and Jay Miller

In an interview published today on the Liv-ex blog and then reported in The Drinks Business Robert Parker makes some intriguing comments about the challenges of management and the 'Pay for Access' scandal last year.

Liv-ex blog

The Drinks Business (19th March 2012) report on interview with Robert Parker by Rupert Millar

'I did not supervise Jay Miller as effectively as I should have.'

Parker on management and Campo and Miller

'However, he has also recognised the pitfalls of managing more people and blames himself for the Pancho Campo/Jay Miller scandal last year.

He said: "I have to hire and manage people and I'm learning good things and bad things about this. I'm very proud of the people that we have, but I'm still learning the supervisory and communication aspects.

"You always need to communicate exactly what you want. This is the challenge for me – I take part of the blame for what happened with Pancho Campo and Jay Miller in Spain. We haven't seen the final investigative report from our lawyers, but at the end of the day, I feel I did not supervise Jay Miller as effectively as I should have.

"I should have been more diligent in asking question as to what he was doing and I should have scrutinised the way he did things a lot more than I did. Nothing was done that was illegal, but there were some things done that were just...I suppose perception is reality."

The full Drinks Business report is here.

In the Liv-ex post Parker also commented:

'I still think that Spain is very much the sleeping giant of the Mediterranean. It has just unlimited potential. Although they are obviously going through a bad patch with their economy and some of the other problems they have had, such as the scandal involving my former colleague, Jay Miller, and Pancho Campo.'

**

To date I have had no explanation over Robert Parker's mistaken claim that I was 'reluctant to talk with us' nor have I had any request for a meeting.

I emailed Stephen Miller, the investigating attorney who contacted Harold Heckle and myself asking for any relevant documents, on 15th February 2012. I asked him to clarify how Parker had gained the impression that I was 'reluctant to talk'. This email was copied to Parker and to The Wine Advocate. Receiving no response I again emailed Miller on 15th March requesting clarification on this as well as the claim that it had not been possible to set up a face to face meeting with me. Again this was copied to Parker and to The Wine Advocate and again no response nor any acknowledgment received to date.

Clos Roussely: Portes Ouvertes Saturday 31st March - Sunday 1st April

Vincent Roussely

 Veritable Marché Gourmand

Vincent Roussely (Clos Roussely, Angé) is holding his 10th annual Portes Ouvertes (open day) on Saturday 31st March and Sunday 1st April at the domaine's cellars: 11 Route du Château, 41400 Angé. Tel: 02.54.32.86.46.

Described as a 'Véritable Marché Gourmand' there will be eight vignerons present from all over France – Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne, Côtes du Rhône, Muscadet plus Vincent – Touraine. In addition there will be producers of oysters, foie gras, Touraine cheeses, traditional biscuits, mushrooms, honey and asses' milk.

Vignerons present in addition to Vincent Roussely:
Champagne Jean Vesselle, Bouzy,

Domaine Gérard Tremblay, Chablis,

Domaine de la Noblaie (Jérome Billard), Chinon   

La Rochepot, Bourgogne,

Philippe Gocker, Alsace,

Christian Bonfils, Sablet et Gigondas

Le Domaine Viticole du Pressoir des Vignes, Muscadet (Nicolas Février)

Château de Montlau, Bordeaux.

        

Fishy goings on in Epeigné-les-Bois

Le Lézard Vert – customer leaving with their fresh bread  

 Street scene with car: Rue de la Fontaine

 Post Office and Rue de la Fontaine 

 L'eglise

 

Carrefour with road from Saint-Georges and the D81

+

The Sunday market@Saint-Georges-sur-Cher