Les 4 Villages, Coteaux du Layon, Domaine FL

On my return from Kent yesterday I found this sample from Philippe Fournier waiting for me along with a letter explaining what had gone wrong at the lunch on 18th November 2009 when he had been due to present his wines to a group of UK wine writers but in the event neither Philippe nor his wines were able to make the lunch.

We opened the 2007 Les 4 Villages last night with cheese – the same selection as we had with the 1969 Clos de Catherine we drank the night before and as good a match. Interestingly Les 4 Villages, although obviously much younger, is similar in style – moderately rich but not super sweet as the Domaine FL site explains:

'Les 4 Villages

Assemblage de différents terroirs sur Rochefort, Beaulieu, St-Aubin et St-Lambert. Tris de grappes en partie botrytisées, généralement entre 80 et 100 grammes/litre de sucres résiduels.'

Rochefort, Beaulieu, St-Aubin et St-Lambert are at the western end of the Layon Valley and are among those villages allowed to add their name to the Coteaux du Layon appellation.



The 2007 Les 4 Villages is a very pale gold with honey, citric flavours as well as pineapple and has the purity and precision that is typical of the lovely 2007 sweet wine vintage in the Loire. As well as being a fine foil for cheese, this would work well with patés and probably rich duck dishes. I must try this style of Layon with Pekin duck sometime. The 2007 would have been picked and started its fermentation during the very end of the Jo Pithon era as the split occured at the end of 2007 with its élèvage completed post-Pithon.

I expect taste some other wines from Domaine FL at the Liberty Wines tasting this week as they are FL's UK importers.

Previous postings on Domaine FL here, here, here, here and here.