Les Caves de Pyréne: new releases tasting inc ungrafted Thierry Germain

Managed a quick hour or so in @Les Caves de Pyrene new release tasting today at The Contented Vine in Pimlico. One could never accuse Les Caves of selling bland or boring wines. Their selection is always worth tasting if even a few of the wines fall over the edge of what I find acceptable and the faults in the wine starts to dominate.

2008 Vouvray Sec Catherine and Pierre Breton

As far as I know the only producer present was Pierre Breton from Bourgueil, Chinon and Vouvray, so I started with Pierre and Catherine's 2008 La Dilettante, Vouvray Sec. (£9.78 ex vat). They rent some three hectares in Vernou and concentrate on making sec and sparkling wines. I tasted their 2008 Sec at Les Caves' April tasting and today it again impressed with its minerality and crisp, clean flavours. The Vouvray Brut (£11.99) – a blend of 2003 and 2004 and recently degorged – is also well made.

2008 La Dilettante Bourgueil. It is not clear whether it is Pierre or Catherine who lounges on the grapes here during the harvest, while the rest of the team work like mad.

Among the reds Pierre was showing the supple fruited and spicy 2008 La Dilettante Bourgueil (£11.28) stood out. From the 2008 vintage Pierre was also showing the leafy Trinch (£9.78) with a greenness in the finish. Over the years I have probably tasted all the vintages of Trinch and I have to say that this is a wine that I just don't get. I have often found it thin and charmless and substantially over-priced. Today La Dilettante was well worth the extra £1.40 plus vat.

There were three other Loire wines on show: the 1999 Les Gênets, Savennières, Domaine Laureau (£12) and 2007 Goutte d'O, VDT, Domaine Sylvain Martinez (£18.95). I have already posted on both of these wines here and here. Both showed well again today. I agreed with Doug Wregg, Les Caves' sales director that the Laureau has less opulence than a few months ago with its minerality increasingly to the fore. £12 plus vat remains a very fair price for a Savennières of this quality.

2008 Franc de Pied, Saumur-Champigny, Domaine des Roches Neuves, Thierry Germain

The last Loire representative was a completely new wine – having I think its first showing in the UK. Thierry Germain had shown me his ungrafted vines in early October 2008 but I hadn't tasted the wine, so it was good to have the chance to look at the leafy, herbal and sooty 2008 Franc de Pied, Saumur-Champigny, Domaine des Roches Neuves (£24.10). Currently this is quite lean but probably needs a while in bottle to soften down. It is, of course, interesting to have something from ungrafted vines and Thierry is risking capital because phylloxera could turn up tomorrow and wipe out his vineyard. However at £24.10 ex vat this does not represent good value compared to other quality wines from Saumur-Champigny.

Thierry Germain and his Franc de Pied Cabernet Franc: 2nd October 2008 (above and below)

(As usual more to add including an Eric Narioo special from La France profonde, which may now feature as one of tomorrow's posts.)