Chenin Blanc: Domaine de la Taille aux Loups 11.10.2008A quick visit to Jacky and Joëlle Blot in Huisseau to pick up a little Rémus 2007 and the recently degorged Triple Zero from the 2007 vintage. Lucklily I had reserved some Rémus 2007 because it sold out within a month of going on sale in October.
A bucket of 2008 Chenin Blanc – a clear illustration of how variable Chenin's ripeness can be.
Before we tasted the recently released trio, Jacky talked enthusiastically about the quality of the 2008 vintage as well as the 10 new hectares Of Montlouis vineyard that he has acquired, bringing the Taille aux Loups holding up to 45 hectares. Not bad, seeing as Jacky and Joëlle started with seven. Although it is a small harvest, only 25 hl/ha if you strip out the new 10 hectares, which they acquired too late to influence production, so some parcels cropped at over 60 hl/ha. In Bourgeuil volume was even less – just 17 hl/ha.
Jacky: “As in previous years we were the last to pick and to finish picking. Alcoholic degrees varied between 12.8˚ for Pied de la Butte to over 14˚ for mi-pente. We have benefited from the long slow ripening and the cold nights during the summer and autumn.”
We tasted the 2007 version of Triple Zero and the 2006 in magnum – the 2007 richer and more expressive than the 2006.
An so to the trio of 2007s. Rémus is round, lemony with lovely balance, while Clos de la Bretonnière (Vouvray) has quince, a touch of honey and mineral length. However, the real star on the day was the Clos de Venise (Vouvray). From soils with a high proportion of flint, the Clos has weight and greater complexity than the other two. It was so good that we were forced to buy some of the Clos de Venise as well.
As Jacky is convinced that the 2008s dry whites are superior to the 2007s, I fear that next year could be expensive.
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