Clos Roche Blanche Côt 2007 AC Touraine
Vacheron Les Romains 1996 AC Sancerre
Good wine is even better when it confounds conventional wisdom and two wines drunk over the weekend certainly did that.
I discovered the excellent wines of Catherine Roussel and Didier Barrouillet’s Clos Roche Blanche back in September 1989 on a press trip to the Loire looking at red wines. They are probably the closest I have to a house wine. Catherine is not convinced that her wines age. Due to demand, especially from the US, they sell all that they make rarely managing to squirrel away any bottles to see how they age. Didier is more convinced of their aging potential.
The dark and still brooding 1997 Côt (called Auxerrois in Cahors and Malbec elsewhere) with its lovely soft black fruits with is a potent witness that Catherine might want to reconsider her opinion on their ability to age. Some of the fruit is from vines that are over 100 years old – amazingly gnarled, fragile looking vines. Côt is probably the best red variety of eastern Touraine. The 1997 also helps to demolish the popular idea that all Loire wines are light, fruity and should be drunk as young as possible. The Roche Blanche 1997 showed no signs of decline and may well last another 8 to 10 years or perhaps more.
Vacheron Les Romains 1996 Sancerre Blanc – golden, richly textured, a little honeyed with a backbone of acidity. Wonderful – slightly opened in error as it was an unlabeled bottle from a box of oddments. From the cork I could see it was Vacheron but didn't clock the vintage until it was pulled. My first reaction was to push the cork back in but on a nano-second's reflection pulled it out again. I was spot on – excellent Sunday night apero and Sancerre is currently featuring on this site with our Vacheron visit the next one to write up. It underlines that top quality Sancerre ages well and gains complexity.
Clos Roche Blanche, 19 Route de Montrichard, 41110 Mareuil-sur-Cher. Tel: 02.54.75.17.03
Domaine Vacheron, Rue du Puis Poulton, 18300 Sancerre.
Tel: 02.48.54.09.93
Email: vacheron.sa@wanadoo.fr
Vacheron Les Romains 1996 AC Sancerre
Good wine is even better when it confounds conventional wisdom and two wines drunk over the weekend certainly did that.
I discovered the excellent wines of Catherine Roussel and Didier Barrouillet’s Clos Roche Blanche back in September 1989 on a press trip to the Loire looking at red wines. They are probably the closest I have to a house wine. Catherine is not convinced that her wines age. Due to demand, especially from the US, they sell all that they make rarely managing to squirrel away any bottles to see how they age. Didier is more convinced of their aging potential.
The dark and still brooding 1997 Côt (called Auxerrois in Cahors and Malbec elsewhere) with its lovely soft black fruits with is a potent witness that Catherine might want to reconsider her opinion on their ability to age. Some of the fruit is from vines that are over 100 years old – amazingly gnarled, fragile looking vines. Côt is probably the best red variety of eastern Touraine. The 1997 also helps to demolish the popular idea that all Loire wines are light, fruity and should be drunk as young as possible. The Roche Blanche 1997 showed no signs of decline and may well last another 8 to 10 years or perhaps more.
Vacheron Les Romains 1996 Sancerre Blanc – golden, richly textured, a little honeyed with a backbone of acidity. Wonderful – slightly opened in error as it was an unlabeled bottle from a box of oddments. From the cork I could see it was Vacheron but didn't clock the vintage until it was pulled. My first reaction was to push the cork back in but on a nano-second's reflection pulled it out again. I was spot on – excellent Sunday night apero and Sancerre is currently featuring on this site with our Vacheron visit the next one to write up. It underlines that top quality Sancerre ages well and gains complexity.
Clos Roche Blanche, 19 Route de Montrichard, 41110 Mareuil-sur-Cher. Tel: 02.54.75.17.03
Domaine Vacheron, Rue du Puis Poulton, 18300 Sancerre.
Tel: 02.48.54.09.93
Email: vacheron.sa@wanadoo.fr
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